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HOUGHTON,  MIFFLIN  AND  COMPANY 
BOSTON  AND  NEW  YORK 


A  COUNTRY  DOCTOR 


BY 


SAEAH  OKNE  JEWETT 


BOSTON 

HOUGHTON,  MIFFLIN   AND  COMPANY 
New  York  :  85  Fifth  Avenue 

(3Tbe  ttfcer  jibe  pre#j,  Cambridge 


Copyright,  1884, 
BY  SARAH  ORNE  JEWETT. 

All  rights  reserved. 


/ 


CONTENTS.  M  A 


PAGB 

I.  THE  LAST  MILE 1 

II.   THE  FARM-HOUSE  KITCHEN     ....  5 

III.  AT  JAKE  AND  MARTIN'S 18 

IV.  LIFE  AND  DEATH 31 

V.  A  SUNDAY  VISIT 43 

VI.   IN  SUMMER  WEATHER 55 

VII.  FOR  THE  YEARS  TO  COME 68 

VIII.   A  GREAT  CHANGE 76 

IX.   AT  DR.  LESLIE'S 89 

X.  ACROSS  THE  STREET 117 

XI.   NEW  OUTLOOKS 146 

XII.   AGAINST  THE  WIND 155 

XIII.  A  STRAIGHT  COURSE 183 

XIV.  Miss  PRINCE  or  DUNPORT       .        .        .        .  196 
XV.   HOSTESS  AND  GUEST 215 

XVI.   A  JUNE  SUNDAY 234 

XVII.  BY  THE  RIVER 250 

XVIII.  A  SERIOUS  TEA-DRINKING       ....  268 
XIX.   FRIEND  AND  LOVER 287 

XX.   ASHORE  AND  AFLOAT 310 

XXI.  AT  HOME  AGAIN                                                   .  330 


M85833 


A  COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 


THE  LAST  MILE. 

IT  had  been  one  of  the  warm  and  almost  sultry 
days  which  sometimes  come  in  November ;  a  ma 
ligned  month,  which  is  really  an  epitome  of  the 
other  eleven,  or  a  sort  of  index  to  the  whole  year's 
changes  of  storm  and  sunshine.  The  afternoon 
was  like  spring,  the  air  was  soft  and  damp,  and 
the  buds  of  the  willows  had  been  beguiled  into 
swelling  a  little,  so  that  there  was  a  bloom  over 
them,  and  the  grass  looked  as  if  it  had  been  grow 
ing  green  of  late  instead  of  fading  steadily.  It 
seemed  like  a  reprieve  from  the  doom  of  winter, 
or  from  even  November  itself. 

The  dense  and  early  darkness  which  usually 
follows  such  unseasonable  mildness  had  already 
begun  to  cut  short  the  pleasures  of  this  spring 
like  day,  when  a  young  woman,  who  carried  a 
child  in  her  arms,  turned  from  a  main  road  of 
Oldfields  into  a  foot-path  which  led  southward 
across  the  fields  and  pastures.  She  seemed  sure 
of  her  way,  and  kept  the  path  without  difficulty, 
though  a  stranger  might  easily  have  lost  it  here 
and  there,  where  it  led  among  the  patches  of 
1 


2  A   COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

sweet-fern  or  bayberry  bushes,  or  through  shad 
owy 'tracts  of  small  white-pines.  She  stopped 
sometimes  to  rest,  and  walked  more  and  more 
wearily,  with  increasing  effort ;  but  she  kept  on 
her  way  desperately,  as  if  it  would  not  do  to  ar 
rive  much  later  at  the  place  which  she  was  seek 
ing.  The  child  ssemed  to  be  asleep ;  it  looked 
too  heavy  for  so  slight  a  woman  to  carry. 

The  path  led  after  a  while  to  a  more  open  coun 
try,  there  was  a  low  hill  to  be  climbed,  and  at  ita 
top  the  slender  figure  stopped  and  seemed  to  be 
panting  for  breath.  A  follower  might  have  no 
ticed  that  it  bent  its  head  over  the  child's  for  & 
moment  as  it  stood,  dark  against  the  darkening 
sky.  There  had  formerly  been  a  defense  against 
the  Indians  on  this  hill,  which  in  the  daytime 
commanded  a  fine  view  of  the  surrounding  coun 
try,  and  the  low  earthworks  or  foundations  of  the 
garrison  were  still  plainly  to  be  seen.  The  wo 
man  seated  herself  on  the  sunken  wall  in  spite  of 
the  dampness  and  increasing  chill,  still  holding 
the  child,  and  rocking  to  and  fro  like  one  in  de 
spair.  The  child  waked  and  began  to  whine  and 
cry  a  little  in  that  strange,  lonely  place,  and  after 
a  few  minutes,  perhaps  to  quiet  it,  they  went  on 
their  way.  Near  the  foot  of  the  hill  was  a  brook, 
swollen  by  the  autumn  rains  ;  it  made  a  loud 
noise  in  the  quiet  pasture,  as  if  it  were  crying  out 
against  a  wrong  or  some  sad  memory.  The  wo 
man  went  toward  it  at  first,  following  a  slight 
ridge  which  was  all  that  remained  of  a  covered 


THE  LAST  MILE.  3 

path  which  had  led  down  from  the  garrison  to 
the  spring  below  at  the  brookside.  If  she  had 
meant  to  quench  her  thirst  here,  she  changed  her 
mind,  and  suddenly  turned  to  the  right,  follow 
ing  the  brook  a  short  distance,  and  then  going 
straight  toward  the  river  itself  and  the  high  up 
lands,  which  by  daylight  were  smooth  pastures 
with  here  and  there  a  tangled  apple-tree  or  the 
grassy  cellar  of  a  long  vanished  farm-house. 

It  was  night  now ;  it  was  too  late  in  the  year 
for  the  chirp  of  any  insects ;  the  moving  air,  which 
could  hardly  be  called  wind,  swept  over  in  slow 
waves,  and  a  few  dry  leaves  rustled  on  an  old  haw 
thorn  tree  which  grew  beside  the  hollow  where  a 
house  had  been,  and  a  low  sound  came  from  the 
river.  The  whole  country  side  seemed  asleep  in 
the  darkness,  but  the  lonely  woman  felt  no  lack 
of  companionship ;  it  was  well  suited  to  her  own 
mood  that  the  world  slept  and  said  nothing  to 
her,  —  it  seemed  as  if  she  were  the  only  creature 
alive. 

A  little  this  side  of  the  river  shore  there  was 
an  old  burial  place,  a  primitive  spot  enough,  where 
the  graves  were  only  marked  by  rough  stones,  and 
the  short,  sheep-cropped  grass  was  spread  over  de 
parted  generations  of  the  farmers  and  their  wives 
and  children.  By  day  it  was  in  sight  of  the  pine 
woods  and  the  moving  water,  and  nothing  hid  it 
from  the  great  sky  overhead,  but  now  it  was  like 
a  prison  walled  about  by  the  barriers  of  night. 
However  eagerly  the  woman  had  hurried  to  this 


4  A    COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

place,  and  with  what  purpose  she  may  have  sought 
the  river  bank,  when  she  recognized  her  surround 
ings  she  stopped  for  a  moment,  swaying  and  irres 
olute.  "  No,  no !  "  sighed  the  child  plaintively, 
and  she  shuddered,  and  started  forward  ;  then,  as 
her  feet  stumbled  among  the  graves,  she  turned 
and  fled.  It  no  longer  seemed  solitary,  but  as  if  a 
legion  of  ghosts  which  had  been  wandering  under 
cover  of  the  dark  had  discovered  this  intruder, 
and  were  chasing  her  and  flocking  around  her  and 
oppressing  her  from  every  side.  And  as  she 
caught  sight  of  a  light  in  a  far-away  farmhouse 
window,  a  light  which  had  been  shining  after  her 
all  the  way  down  to  the  river,  she  tried  to  hurry 
toward  it.  The  unnatural  strength  of  terror  urged 
her  on  ;  she  retraced  her  steps  like  some  pursued 
animal;  she  remembered,  one  after  another,  the 
fearful  stories  she  had  known  of  that  ancient 
neighborhood  ;  the  child  cried,  but  she  could  not 
answer  it.  She  fell  again  and  again,  and  at  last 
all  her  strength  seemed  to  fail  her,  her  feet  re 
fused  to  carry  her  farther  and  she  crept  painfully, 
a  few  yards  at  a  time,  slowly  along  the  ground. 
The  fear  of  her  superhuman  enemies  had  forsaken 
her,  and  her  only  desire  was  to  reach  the  light 
that  shone  from  the  looming  shadow  of  the  house. 
At  last  she  was  close  to  it ;  at  last  she  gave 
one  great  sigh,  and  the  child  fell  from  her  grasp  ; 
at  last  she  clutched  the  edge  of  the  worn  doorstep 
with  both  hands,  and  lay  still. 


II. 

THE  FAKM-HOUSE  KITCHEN. 

INDOORS  there  was  a  cheerful  company;  the 
mildness  of  the  evening  had  enticed  two  neigh 
bors  of  Mrs.  Thacher,  the  mistress  of  the  house, 
into  taking  their  walks  abroad,  and  so,  with  their 
heads  well  protected  by  large  gingham  handker 
chiefs,  they  had  stepped  along  the  road  and  up  the 
lane  to  spend  a  social  hour  or  two.  John  Thacher, 
their  old  neighbor's  son,  was  known  to  be  away 
serving  on  a  jury  in  the  county  town,  and  they 
thought  it  likely  that  his  mother  would  enjoy 
company.  Their  own  houses  stood  side  by  side. 
Mrs.  Jacob  Dyer  and  Mrs.  Martin  Dyer  were 
their  names,  and  excellent  women  they  were. 
Their  husbands  were  twin-brothers,  curiously  alike 
and  amazingly  fond  of  each  other,  though  either 
would  have  scorned  to  make  any  special  outward 
demonstration  of  it.  They  were  spending  the 
evening  together  in  brother  Martin's  house,  and 
were  talking  over  the  purchase  of  a  bit  of  wood 
land,  and  the  profit  of  clearing  it,  when  their 
wives  had  left  them  without  any  apology  to  visit 
Mrs.  Thacher,  as  we  have  already  seen. 

This  was  the  nearest  house  and  only  a  quarter 


6  A   COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

of  a  mile  away,  and  when  they  opened  the  door 
they  had  found  Mrs.  Thacher  spinning. 

"I  must  own  up,  I  am  glad  to  see  you  more  'n 
common,"  she  said.  "  I  don't  feel  scary  at  being 
left  sole  alone  ;  it  ain't  that,  but  I  have  been  get 
ting  through  with  a  lonesome  spell  of  another  kind. 
John,  he  does  as  well  as  a  man  can,  but  here  I  be, 
—  here  I  be,"  — and  the  good  woman  could  say 
no  more,  while  her  guests  understood  readily 
enough  the  sorrow  that  had  found  no  words. 

"  I  suppose  you  have  n't  got  no  news  from 
Ad'line  ?  "  asked  Mrs.  Martin  bluntly.  "  We  was 
speaking  of  her  as  we  come  along,  and  saying  it 
seemed  to  be  a  pity  she  should  'nt  feel  it  was  best 
to  come  back  this  winter  and  help  you  through  ; 
only  one  daughter,  and  left  alone  as  you  be,  with 
the  bad  spells  you  are  liable  to  in  winter  time  — 
but  there,  it  ain't  her  way  —  her  ambitions  ain't 
what  they  should  be,  that 's  all  I  can  say." 

"  If  she  'd  got  a  gift  for  anything  special,  now," 
continued  Mrs.  Jake,  "  we  should  feel  it  was  dif 
ferent  and  want  her  to  have  a  chance,  but  she  's 
just  like  other  folks  for  all  she  felt  so  much  above 
farming.  I  don't  see  as  she  can  do  better  than 
coma  back  to  the  old  place,  or  leastways  to  the  vil 
lage,  and  fetch  up  the  little  gal  to  be  some  use. 
She  might  dressmake  or  do  millinery  work  ;  she 
always  had  a  pretty  taste,  and  'twould  be  better 
than  roving.  I  'spose  't  would  hurt  her  pride,"  — 
but  Mrs.  Thacher  flushed  at  this,  and  Mrs.  Mar 
tin  came  to  the  rescue. 


THE  FARM-HOUSE  KITCHEN.  1 

"  You  '11  think  we  're  reg'lar  Job's  comforters," 
cried   the   good   soul   hastily,    "  but   there,    Mis' 
Thacher,  you  know  we  feel  as  if  she  was  our  own. 
There  ain't  nothing  I  would  n't  do  for  Ad'line, 
sick  or  well,  and  I  declare  I  believe  she'll  pull 
through  yet  and  make  a  piece  of  luck  that  '11  set 
us  all  to  work  praising  of   her.     She  's    like   to ,    ~^ 
marry  again  for  all  I  can  see,  with  her  good  looks. ' 
Folks  always  has  their  joys  and  calamities  as  they 
go  through  the  world." 

Mrs.  Thacher  shook  her  head  two  or  three 
times  with  a  dismal  expression,  and  made  no  an 
swer.  She  had  pushed  back  the  droning  wool- 
wheel  which  she  had  been  using,  and  had  taken 
her  knitting  from  the  shelf  by  the  clock  and 
seated  herself  contentedly,  while  Mrs.  Jake  and 
Mrs.  Martin  had  each  produced  a  blue  yarn  stock 
ing  from  a  capacious  pocket,  and  the  shining  steel 
needles  were  presently  all  clicking  together.  One 
knitter  after  another  would  sheathe  the  spare 
needle  under  her  apron  strings,  while  they  asked 
each  other's  advice  from  time  to  time  about  the 
propriety  of  "  narrerin  '  "  or  whether  it  were  not 
best  to  "  widden  "  according  to  the  progress  their 
respective  stockings  had  made.  Mrs.  Thacher  had 
lighted  an  extra  candle,  and  replenished  the  fire, 
for  the  air  was  chillier  since  the  sun  went  down. 
They  were  all  sure  of  a  coming  change  of  weather, 
and  counted  various  signs,  Mrs.  Thacher's  lowness 
of  spirits  among  the  number,  while  all  three  de 
scribed  various  minor  maladies  from  which  they 


8  A    COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

had  suffered  during  the  day,  and  of  which  the 
unseasonable  weather  was  guilty. 

"  I  can't  get  over  the  feeling  that  we  are  watch- 
in'  with  somebody,"  said  Mrs.  Martin  after  a 
while,  moved  by  some  strange  impulse  and  look 
ing  over  her  shoulder,  at  which  remark  Mrs. 
Thacher  glanced  up  anxiously.  "  Something  has 
been  hanging  over  me  all  day,"  said  she  simply, 
and  at  this  the  needles  clicked  faster  than  ever. 

"  We  've  been  taking  rather  a  low  range," 
suggested  Mrs.  Jake.  "We  shall  get  to  telling 
over  ghost  stories  if  we  don't  look  out,  and  I  for 
one  shall  be  sca't  to  go  home.  By  the  way,  I 
suppose  you  have  heard  about  old  Billy  Dow's 
experience  night  afore  last,  Mis'  Thacher?" 

"  John  being  away,  I  ain't  had  nobody  to  fetch 
me  the  news  these  few  days  past,"  said  the  host 
ess.  "  Why,  what 's  happened  to  Billy  now  ?  " 

The  two  women  looked  at  each  other  :  "  He 
was  getting  himself  home  as  best  he  could, —  he 
owned  up  to  having  made  a  lively  evenin'  of  it, 
—  and  I  expect  he  was  wandering  all  over  the 
road  and  did  n't  know  nothin'  except  that  he  was 
p'inted  towards  home,  an'  he  stepped  off  from  the 
high  bank  this  side  o'  Dunnell's,  and  rolled  down, 
over  and  over ;  and  when  he  come  to  there  was 
a  great  white  creatur'  a-standin'  over  him,  and  he 
thought  'twas  a  ghost.  'T  was  higher  up  on  the 
bank  than  him,  and  it  kind  of  moved  along  down 's 
if  't  was  coming  right  on  to  him,  and  he  got  on  to 
his  knees  and  begun  to  say  his  Ten  Command- 


THE  FARM-HOUSE  KITCHEN.  9 

ments  fast 's  he  could  rattle  'em  out.  He  got  'em 
mixed  up,  and  when  the  boys  heard  his  teeth 
a-chattering,  they  began  to  laugh  and  he  up  an* 
cleared.  Dunnell's  boys  had  been  down  the  road 
a  piece  and  was  just  coming  home,  an'  'twas  their 
old  white  hoss  that  had  got  out  of  the  barn,  it 
bein'  such  a  mild  night,  an'  was  wandering  off. 
They  said  to  Billy  that  't  wa'n't  everybody  could 
lay  a  ghost  so  quick  as  he  could,  and  they  did  n't 
'spose  he  had  the  means  so  handy." 

The  three  friends  laughed,  but  Mrs.  Thacher's 
face  quickly  lost  its  smile  and  took  back  its  wor^ 
ried  look.  She  evidently  was  in  no  mood  for  jok 
ing.  '*  Poor  Billy !  "  said  she,  "  he  was  called  the 
smartest  boy  in  school ;  I  rec'lect  that  one  of  the 
teachers  urged  his  folks  to  let  him  go  to  college  ; 
but  't  wa'n't  no  use  ;  they  had  n't  the  money  and 
could  n't  get  it,  and  't  wa'n't  in  him  to  work  his  way 
as  some  do.  He 's  got  a  master  head  for  figur's. 
Folks  used  to  get  him  to  post  books  you  know, — 
but  he  's  past  that  now.  Good-natured  creatur'  as 
ever  stept ;  but  he  always  was  afeard  of  the  dark, 
—  'seems  's  if  I  could  see  him  there  a-repentin'  and 
the  old  white  hoss  shakin'  his  head,"  —  and  she 
laughed  again,  but  quickly  stopped  herself  and 
looked  over  her  shoulder  at  the  window. 

"  Would  ye  like  the  curtain  drawed  ? ."  asked 

Mrs.  Jake.     But  Mrs.  Thacher  shook  her  head 

silently,  while  the  gray  cat  climbed  up  into  her 

lap  and  lay  down  in  a  round  ball  to  sleep. 

"  She 's  a  proper  cosset,  ain't  she  ?  "  inquired  Mrs, 


10  A   COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

Martin  approvingly,  while  Mrs.  Jake  asked  about 
the  candles,  which  gave  a  clear  light.  "  Be  they 
the  last  you  run  ?  "  she  inquired,  but  was  answered 
to  the  contrary,  and  a  brisk  conversation  followed 
upon  the  proper  proportions  of  tallow  and  bay- 
berry  wax,  and  the  dangers  of  the  new-fangled  oils 
which  the  village  shop-keepers  were  attempting  to 
introduce.  Sperm  oil  was  growing  more  and  more 
dear  in  price  and  worthless  in  quality,  and  the  old- 
fashioned  lamps  were  reported  to  be  past  their 
usefulness. 

"  I  must  own  I  set  most  by  good  candle  light," 
said  Mrs.  Martin.  "  'T  is  no  expense  to  speak  of 
where  you  raise  the  taller,  and  it 's  cheerful  and 
bright  in  winter  time.  In  old  times  when  the 
houses  were  draftier  they  was  troublesome  about 
flickering,  candles  was ;  but  land  !  think  how  com 
fortable  we  live  now  to  what  we  used  to  I  Stoves 
is  such  a  convenience  ;  the  fire 's  so  much  handier. 
Housekeepin'  don't  begin  to  be  the  trial  it  was 
once." 

"  I  must  say  I  like  old-fashioned  cookin'  better 
than  oven  cookin',"  observed  Mrs.  Jake.  "  Seems 
to  me  's  if  the  taste  of  things  was  all  drawed  up 
chimbly.  Be  you  going  to  do  much  for  Thanks- 
givin',  Mis'  Thacher  ?  I  'spose  not ;  "  and  moved 
by  a  sudden  kind  impulse,  she  added,  "  Why 
can't  you  and  John  jine  with  our  folks  ?  't  would 
n't  put  us  out,  and  't  will  be  lonesome  for  ye." 

"  'T  won't  be  no  lonesomer  than  last  year  was, 
nor  the  year  before,"  and  Mrs.  Thacher's  face  quiv« 


THE  FARM-HOUSE  KITCHEN.  11 

ered  a  little  as  she  rose  and  took  one  of  the  can 
dles,  and  opened  the  trap  door  that  covered  the 
cellar  stairs.  "  Now  don't  ye  go  to  makin'  your 
self  work,"  cried  the  guests.  "  No,  don't !  we 
ain't  needin'  nothin' ;  we  was  late  about  supper." 
But  their  hostess  stepped  carefully  down  and  dis 
appeared  for  a  few  minutes,  while  the  cat  hovered 
anxiously  at  the  edge  of  the  black  pit. 

" 1  forgot  to  ask  ye  if  ye'd  have  some  cider  ?  " 
a  sepulchral  voice  asked  presently  ;  "  but  I  don't 
know  now 's  I  can  get  at  it.  I  told  John  I  should 
n't  want  any  whilst  he  was  away,  and  so  he  ain't 
got  the  spiggit  in  yet,"  to  which  Mrs.  Jake  and 
Mrs.  Martin  both  replied  that  they  were  no  hands 
for  that  drink,  unless  't  was  a  drop  right  from  the 
press,  or  a  taste  o'  good  hard  cider  towards  the 
spring  of  the  year  ;  and  Mrs.  Thacher  soon  re 
turned  with  some  slices  of  cake  in  a  plate  and 
some  apples  held  in  her  apron.  One  of  her  neigh 
bors  took  the  candle  as  she  reached  up  to  put  it 
on  the  floor,  and  when  the  trap  door  was  closed 
again  all  three  drew  up  to  the  table  and  had  a  lit 
tle  feast.  The  cake  was  of  a  kind  peculiar  to  its 
maker,  who  prided  herself  upon  never  being  with 
out  it ;  and  there  was  some  trick  of  her  hand  or 
a  secret  ingredient  which  was  withheld  when  she 
responded  with  apparent  cheerfulness  to  requests 
for  its  recipe.  As  for  the  apples,  they  were  grown 
upon  an  old  tree,  one  of  whose  limbs  had  been 
grafted  with  some  unknown  variety  of  fruit  so 
long  ago  that  the  history  was  forgotten  ;  only  that 


12  A   COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

an  English  gardener,  many  years  before,  had 
brought  some  cuttings  from  the  old  country,  and 
one  of  them  had  somehow  come  into  the  possession 
of  John  Thacher's  grandfather  when  grafted  fruit 
was  a  thing  to  be  treasured  and  jealously  guarded. 
It  had  been  told  that  when  the  elder  Thacher  had 
given  away  cuttings  he  had  always  stolen  to  the 
orchards  in  the  night  afterward  and  ruined  them. 
However,  when  the  family  had  grown  more  gen 
erous  in  later  years  it  had  seemed  to  be  without 
avail,  for,  on  their  neighbors'  trees  or  their  own, 
the  English  apples  had  proved  worthless.  Whether 
it  were  some  favoring  quality  in  that  spot  of  soil 
or  in  the  sturdy  old  native  tree  itself,  the  rich 
golden  apples  had  grown  there,  year  after  year, 
in  perfection,  but  nowhere  else. 

"  There  ain't  no  such  apples  as  these,  to  my 
mind,"  said  Mrs.  Martin,  as  she  polished  a  large 
one  with  her  apron  and  held  it  up  to  the  light, 
and  Mrs.  Jake  murmured  assent,  having  already 
taken  a  sufficient  first  bite. 

"  There  's  only  one  little  bough  that  bears  any 
great,"  said  Mrs.  Thacher,  "  but  it 's  come  to  that 
once  before,  and  another  branch  has  shot  up  and 
been  likely  as  if  it  was  a  young  tree." 

The  good  souls  sat  comfortably  in  their  splint- 
bottomed,  straight  -  backed  chairs,  and  enjoyed 
this  mild  attempt  at  a  festival.  Mrs.  Thacher 
even  grew  cheerful  and  responsive,  for  her  guests 
seemed  so  light-hearted  and  free  from  care  that 
the  sunshine  of  their  presence  warmed  her  own 


THE  FARM-HOUSE  KITCHEN.  13 

chilled  and  fearful  heart.  They  embarked  upon 
a  wide  sea  of  neighborhood  gossip  and  parish 
opinions,  and  at  last  some  one  happened  to  speak 
again  of  Thanksgiving,  which  at  once  turned  the 
tide  of  conversation,  and  it  seemed  to  ebb  sud 
denly,  while  the  jjray,  dreary  look  once  more  over 
spread  Mrs.  Thacher's  face. 

"  I  don't  see  why  you  won't  keep  with  our  folks 
this  year  ;  you  and  John,"  once  more  suggested 
Mrs.  Martin.  "  'T  ain't  wuth  while  to  be  mak 
ing  yourselves  dismal  here  to  home :  the  day  '11  be 
lonesome  for  you  at  best,  and  you  shall  have  what 
ever  we  've  got  and  welcome." 

"  'T  won't  be  lonesomer  this  year  than  it  was 
last,  nor  the  year  before  that,  and  we  've  stood  if 
somehow  or  'nother,"  answered  Mrs.  Thacher  for 
the  second  time,  while  she  rose  to  put  more  wood 
in  the  stove.  "  Seems  to  me  't  is  growing  cold  ;  I 
felt  a  draught  acrost  my  shoulders.  These  nights 
is  dreadful  chill ;  you  feel  the  damp  right  through 
your  bones.  I  never  saw  it  darker  than  't  was 
last  evenin'.  I  thought  it  seemed  kind  o'  stived 
up  here  in  the  kitchen,  and  I  opened  the  door  and 
looked  out,  and  I  declare  I  could  n't  see  my  hand 
before  me." 

"  It  always  kind  of  scares  me  these  black 
nights,"  said  Mrs.  Jake  Dyer.  "  I  expect  some 
thing  to  clutch  at  me  every  minute,  and  I  feel  as 
if  some  sort  of  a  creatur'  was  travelin'  right  be 
hind  me  when  I  am  out  door  in  the  dark.  It 
makes  it  bad  havin'  a  wamV  moon  just  now 


14  A   COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

when  the  fogs  bangs  so  low.  It  al'ays  seems  to 
me  as  if  't  was  darker  when  she  rises  late  towards 
mornin'  than  when  she  's  gone  altogether.  I  do' 
know  why  't  is." 

"  I  rec'lect  once,"  Mrs.  Thacher  resumed, 
"  when  Ad'line  was  a  baby  and  John  was  just 
turned  four  year  old,  their  father  had  gone  down 
river  in  the  packet,  and  I  was  expectin'  on  him 
home  at  supper  time,  but  he  did  n't  come  ;  't  was 
late  in  the  fall,  and  a  black  night  as  I  ever  see. 
Ad'line  was  taken  with  something  like  croup,  and 
I  had  an  end  o'  candle  in  the  candlestick  that  I 
lighted,  and 't  wa'n't  long  afore  it  was  burnt  down, 
and  I  went  down  cellar  to  the  box  where  I  kep' 
'em,  and  if  you  will  believe  it,  the  rats  had  got  to 
it,  and  there  was  n't  a  week  o'  one  left.  I  was 
near  out  anyway.  We  did  n't  have  this  cook- 
stove  then,  and  I  cal'lated  I  could  make  up  a 
good  lively  blaze,  so  I  come  up  full  o'  scold  as  I 
could  be,  and  then  I  found  I  'd  burnt  up  all  my 
dry  wood.  You  see,  I  thought  certain  he  'd  be 
home  and  I  was  tendin'  to  the  child'n,  but  I 
started  to  go  out  o'  the  door  and  found  it  had 
come  on  to  rain  hard,  and  I  said  to  myself  I 
would  n't  go  out  to  the  woodpile  and  get  my 
clothes  all  damp,  'count  o'  Ad'line,  and  the  candle 
end  would  last  a  spell  longer,  and  he  'd  be  home  by 
that  time.  I  had  n't  a  least  o'  suspicion  but  what 
he  was  dallying  round  up  to  the  Corners,  'long  o' 
the  rest  o'  the  men,  bein'  't  was  Saturday  night, 
and  I  was  some  put  out  about  it,  for  he  knew 


THE  FARM-HOUSE  KITCHEN.  15 

the  baby  was  sick,  and  I  hadn't  nobody  with  me. 
I  set  down  and  waited,  but  he  never  come,  and  it 
rained  hard  as  I  ever  see  it,  and  I  left  his  supper 
standin'  right  in  the  floor,  and  then  I  begun  to  be 
distressed  for  fear  somethin'  had  happened  to 
Dan'l,  and  I  set  to  work  and  cried,  and  the  candle 
end  give  a  flare  and  went  out,  and  by  V  by  the  fire 
begun  to  get  low  and  I  took  the  child'n  and  went 
to  bed  to  keep  warm  ;  't  was  an  awful  cold  night, 
considerin'  't  was  such  a  heavy  rain,  and  there  I 
laid  awake  and  thought  I  heard  things  steppin' 
about  the  room,  and  it  seemed  to  me  as  if  't  was  a 
week  long  before  mornin'  come,  and  as  if  I  'd  got 
to  be  an  old  woman.  I  did  go  through  with  every 
thing  that  night.  'T  was  that  time  Dan'l  broke 
his  leg,  you  know ;  they  was  takin'  a  deck  load  of 
oak  knees  down  by  the  packet,  and  one  on  'em 
rolled  down  from  the  top  of  the  pile  and  struck 
him  just  below  the  knee.  He  was  poling,  for 
there  wan't  a  breath  o'  wind,  and  he  always  felt 
certain  there  was  somethin'  mysterious  about  it. 
He  'd  had  a  good  deal  worse  knocks  than  that 
seemed  to  be,  as  only  left  a  black  and  blue  spot, 
and  he  said  he  never  see  a  deck  load  o'  timber 
piled  securer.  He  had  some  queer  notions  about 
the  doin's  o'  sperits,  Dan'l  had  ;  his  old  Aunt 
Parser  was  to  blame  for  it.  She  lived  with  his 
father's  folks,  and  used  to  fill  him  and  the  rest  o' 
the  child'n  with  all  sorts  o'  ghost  stories  and  stuff. 
I  used  to  tell  him  she  'd  a'  be'n  hung  for  a  witch 
if  she  'd  lived  in  them  old  Salem  days.  He  al- 


16  A   COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

ways  used  to  be  tellin'  what  everything  was  the 
sign  of,  when  we  was  first  married,  till  I  laughed 
him  out  of  it.  It  made  me  kind  of  notional. 
There's  too  much  now  we  can't  make  sense  of 
without  addin'  to  it  out  o'  our  own  heads." 

Mrs.  Jake  and  Mrs.  Martin  were  quite  familiar 
with  the  story  of  the  night  when  there  were  no 
candles  and  Mr.  Thacher  had  broken  his  leg,  hav 
ing  been  present  themselves  early  in  the  morning 
afterward,  but  they  had  listened  with  none  the 
less  interest.  These  country  neighbors  knew 
their  friends'  affairs  as  well  as  they  did  their  own, 
but  such  an  audience  is  never  impatient.  The 
repetitions  of  the  best  stories  are  signal  events, 
for  ordinary  circumstances  do  not  inspire  them. 
Affairs  must  rise  to  a  certain  level  before  a  narra 
tion  of  some  great  crisis  is  suggested,  and  exactly 
as  a  city  audience  is  well  contented  with  hearing 
the  plays  of  Shakespeare  over  and  over  again,  so 
each  man  and  woman  of  experience  is  permitted 
to  deploy  their  well-known  but  always  interesting 
stories  upon  the  rustic  stage. 

"  I  must  say  I  can't  a-bear  to  hear  anything 
about  ghosts  after  sundown,"  observed  Mrs.  Jake, 
who  was  at  times  somewhat  troubled  by  what  she 
and  her  friends  designated  as  "  narves."  "  Day 
times  I  don't  believe  in  'em  'less  it 's  something 
creepy  more  'n  common,  but  after  dark  it  scares 
me  to  pieces.  I  do'  know  but  I  shall  be  afeared 
to  go  home,"  and  she  laughed  uneasily.  "  There ; 
when  I  get  through  with  this  needle  I  believe  I 


THE  FARM-HOUSE  KITCHEN.  17 

won't  knit  no  more.     The  back  o'  my  neck  is  all 
numb." 

*'  Don't  talk  o'  goin'  home  yet  awhile,"  said  the 
hostess,  looking  up  quickly  as  if  she  hated  the 
thought  of  being  left  alone  again.  "  'T  is  just  on 
the  edge  of  the  evenin' ;  the  nights  is  so  long  now 
we  think  it 's  bedtime  half  an  hour  after  we'  ve 
got  lit  up.  'T  was  a  good  lift  bavin'  you  step 
over  to-night.  I  was  really  a-dreadin'  to  set  here 
by  myself,"  and  for  some  minutes  nobody  spoke 
and  the  needles  clicked  faster  than  ever.  Sud 
denly  there  was  a  strange  sound  outside  the  door, 
and  they  stared  at  each  other  in  terror  and  held 
their  breath,  but  nobody  stirred.  This  was  no 
familiar  footstep ;  presently  they  heard  a  strange 
little  cry,  and  still  they  feared  to  look,  or  to  know 
what  was  waiting  outside.  Then  Mrs.  Thacher 
took  a  candle  in  her  hand,  and,  still  hesitating, 
asked  once,  "  Who  is  there  ?  "  and,  hearing  no 
answer,  slowly  opened  the  door. 
2 


III. 

AT   JAKE  AND    MARTIN'S. 

IN  the  mean  time,  the  evening  had  been  much 
enjoyed  by  the  brothers  who  were  spending  it 
together  in  Martin  Dyer's  kitchen.  The  houses 
stood  side  by  side,  but  Mr.  Jacob  Dyer's  young 
est  daughter,  the  only  one  now  left  at  home,  was 
receiving  a  visit  from  her  lover,  or,  as  the  family 
expressed  it,  the  young  man  who  was  keeping 
company  with  her,  and  her  father,  mindful  of  his 
own  youth,  had  kindly  withdrawn.  Martin's  chil 
dren  were  already  established  in  homes  of  their 
own,  with  the  exception  of  one  daughter  who  was 
at  work  in  one  of  the  cotton  factories  at  Lowell 
in  company  with  several  of  her  acquaintances.  It 
has  already  been  said  that  Jake  and  Martin  liked 
nobody's  company  so  well  as  their  own.  Their 
wives  had  a  time-honored  joke  about  being  com 
paratively  unnecessary  to  their  respective  part 
ners,  and  indeed  the  two  men  had  a  curiously  de 
pendent  feeling  toward  each  other.  It  was  the 
close  sympathy  which  twins  sometimes  have  each 
to  each,  and  had  become  a  byword  among  all  their 
acquaintances.  They  were  seldom  individualized 
in  any  way,  and  neither  was  able  to  distinguish 


AT  JAKE  AND  MARTIN'S.  19 

himself,  apparently,  for  one  always  heard  of  the 
family  as  Jake  and  Martin's  folks,  and  of  their 
possessions,  from  least  to  greatest,  as  belonging  to 
both  brothers.  The  only  time  they  had  ever  been 
separated  was  once  in  their  early  youth,  when 
Jake  had  been  fired  with  a  desire  to  go  to  sea; 
but  he  deserted  the  coastwise  schooner  in  the  first 
port  and  came  home,  because  he  could  not  bear  it 
any  longer  without  his  brother.  Martin  had  no 
turn  for  se&faring,  so  Jake  remained  ashore  and 
patiently  made  a  farmer  of  himself  for  love's  sake, 
and  in  spite  of  a  great  thirst  for  adventure  that 
had  never  ceased  to  fever  his  blood.  It  was  as 
tonishing  how  much  they  found  to  say  to  each 
other  when  one  considers  that  their  experiences 
were  almost  constantly  the  same ;  but  nothing 
contented  them  better  than  an  uninterrupted  eve 
ning  spent  in  each  other's  society,  and  as  they 
hoed  corn  or  dug  potatoes,  or  mowed,  or  as  they 
drove  to  the  Corners,  sitting  stiffly  upright  in  the 
old-fashioned  thorough-braced  wagon,  they  were 
always  to  be  seen  talking  as  if  it  were  the  first 
meeting  after  a  long  separation.  But,  having 
taken  these  quiet  times  for  the  discussion  of  all 
possible  and  impossible  problems,  they  were  men 
of  fixed  opinions,  and  were  ready  at  a  moment's 
warning  to  render  exact  decisions.  They  were 
not  fond  of  society  as  a  rule  ;  they  found  little 
occasion  for  much  talk  with  their  neighbors,  but 
used  as  few  words  as  possible.  Nobody  was  more 
respected  than  the  brothers.  It  was  often  said 


20  A    COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

of  them  that  their  word  was  their  bond,  and  as 
they  passed  from  youth  to  middle  age,  and  in 
these  days  were  growing  to  look  like  elderly  men, 
they  were  free  from  shame  or  reproach,  though 
not  from  much  good-natured  joking  and  friendly 
fun.  Their  farm  had  been  owned  in  the  family 
since  the  settlement  of  the  country,  and  the  house 
which  Martin  occupied  was  very  old.  Jake's  had 
been  built  for  him  when  he  was  married,  from 
timber  cut  in  their  own  woodlands,  and  after 
thirty  years  of  wear  it  looked  scarcely  newer  than 
its  companion.  And  when  it  is  explained  that 
they  had  married  sisters,  because,  as  people  said, 
they  even  went  courting  together,  it  will  be  easy 
to  see  that  they  had  found  life  more  harmonious 
than  most  people  do.  Sometimes  the  wife  of  one 
brother  would  complain  that  her  sister  enjoyed 
undue  advantages  and  profits  from  the  estate, 
but  there  was  rarely  any  disagreement,  and  Mrs. 
Jake  was  mistress  of  the  turkeys  and  Mrs.  Martin 
held  sway  over  the  hens,  while  they  divided  the 
spoils  amiably  at  Thanksgiving  time  when  the  geese 
were  sold.  If  it  were  a  bad  year  for  turkeys,  and 
the  tender  young  were  chilled  in  the  wet  grass, 
while  the  hens  flourished  steadily  the  season 
through,  Mrs.  Jake's  spirits  drooped  and  she  be 
came  envious  of  the  good  fortune  which  flaunted 
itself  before  her  eyes,  but  on  the  whole,  they  suf 
fered  and  enjoyed  together,  and  found  no  fault 
with  their  destinies.  The  two  wives,  though  the 
affection  between  them  was  of  an  ordinary  sort, 


AT  JAKE  AND  MARTIN'S.  21 

were  apt  to  form  a  league  against  the  brothers, 
and  this  prevented  a  more  troublesome  rivalry 
which  might  have  existed  between  the  households. 

Jake  and  Martin  were  particularly  enjoying  the 
evening.  Some  accident  had  befallen  the  cooking- 
stove,  which  the  brothers  had  never  more  than 
half  approved,  it  being  one  of  the  early  patterns, 
and  a  poor  exchange  for  the  ancient  methods  of 
cookery  in  the  wide  fireplace.  "  The  women"  had 
had  a  natural  desire  to  be  equal  with  their  neigh 
bors,  and  knew  better  than  their  husbands  did  the 
difference  this  useful  invention  had  made  in  their 
every-day  work.  However,  this  one  night  the 
conservative  brothers  could  take  a  mild  revenge  ; 
and  when  their  wives  were  well  on  their  way  to 
Mrs.  Thacher's  they  had  assured  each  other  that, 
if  the  plaguey  thing  were  to  be  carried  to  the  Cor 
ners  in  the  morning  to  be  exchanged  or  repaired, 
it  would  be  as  well  to  have  it  in  readiness,  and 
had  quickly  taken  down  its  pipes  and  lifted  it  as 
if  it  were  a  feather  to  the  neighboring  woodshed. 
Then  they  hastily  pried  away  a  fireboard  which 
closed  the  great  fireplace,  and  looked  smilingly 
upon  the  crane  and  its  pothooks  and  the  familiar 
iron  dogs  which  had  been  imprisoned  there  in 
darkness  for  many  months.  They  brought  in  the 
materials  for  an  old-fashioned  fire,  backlog,  fore- 
stick,  and  crowsticks,  and  presently  seated  them 
selves  before  a  crackling  blaze.  Martin  brought 
a  tall,  brown  pitcher  of  cider  from  the  cellar  and 


22  A   COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

set  two  mugs  beside  it  on  the  small  table,  and  for 
some  little  time  they  enjoyed  themselves  in  si 
lence,  after  which  Jake  remarked  that  he  did  n't 
know  but  they  'd  got  full  enough  of  a  fire  for  such 
a  mild  night,  but  he  wished  his  own  stove  and  the 
new  one  too  could  be  dropped  into  the  river  for 
good  and  all. 

They  put  the  jug  of  cider  between  the  andirons, 
and  then,  moved  by  a  common  impulse,  drew  their 
chairs  a  little  farther  from  the  mounting  flames, 
before  they  quenched  their  thirst  from  the  mugs. 

"  I  call  that  pretty  cider,"  said  Martin  ;  "  't  is 
young  yet,  but  it  has  got  some  weight  a'ready,  and 
't  is  smooth.  There  's  a  sight  o'  difference  between 
good  upland  fruit  and  the  sposhy  apples  that  grows 
in  wet  ground.  An'  I  take  it  that  the  bar'l  has 
an  influence  :  some  bar'ls  kind  of  wilt  cider  and 
some  smarten  it  up,  and  keep  it  hearty.  Lord ! 
what  stuff  some  folks  are  willin'  to  set  before  ye  J 
't  ain't  wuth  the  name  o' cider,  nor  no  better  than 
the  rensin's  of  a  vinegar  cask." 

"  And  then  there 's  weather  too,"  agreed  Mr. 
Jacob  Dyer,  "  had  ought  to  be  took  into  consider 
ation.  Git  your  apples  just  in  the  right  time  — 
not  too  early  to  taste  o'  the  .tree,  nor  too  late  to 
taste  o'  the  ground,  and  just  in  the  snap  o'  time 
as  to  ripeness',  on  a  good  sharp  day  with  the  sun 
a-shining  ;  have  'em  into  the  press  and  what  comes 
out  is  cider.  I  think  if  we  've  had  any  fault  in 
years  past,  't  was  puttin'  off  makin'  a  little  too  late, 
But  I  don't  see  as  this  could  be  beat.  I  don't 


AT  JAKE  AND  MARTIN'S.  23 

know 's  you  feel  like  a  pipe,  but  I  believe  I  '11  light 
up,"  and  thereupon  a  good  portion  of  black-look 
ing  tobacco  was  cut  and  made  fine  in  each  of  the 
hard  left  hands,  and  presently  the  clay  pipes  were 
touched  off  with  a  live  coal,  and  great  clouds  of 
smoke  might  have  been  seen  to  disappear  under 
the  edge  of  the  fire-place,  drawn  quickly  up  the 
chimney  by  the  draft  of  the  blazing  fire. 

Jacob  pushed  back  his  chair  another  foot  or 
two,  and  Martin  soon  followed,  mentioning  that 
it  was  getting  hot,  but  it  was  well  to  keep  out 
the  damp. 

"  What  set  the  women  out  to  go  traipsin'  up 
to  Thacher's  folks  ?  "  inquired  Jacob,  holding  his 
cider  mug  with  one  hand  and  drumming  it  with 
the  finger  ends  of  the  other. 

"  I  had  an  idee  that  they  wanted  to  find  out  if 
anything  had  been  heard  about  Ad'line's  get 
ting  home  for  Thanksgiving,"  answered  Martin, 
turning  to  look  shrewdly  at  his  brother.  "  Wo 
men  folks  does  suffer  if  there  's  anything  goin'  on 
they  can't  find  out  about.  'Liza  said  she  was  go 
ing  to  invite  Mis'  Thacher  and  John  to  eat  a  piece 
o'  our  big  turkey,  but  she  did  n't  s'pose  they  'd 
want  to  leave.  Curi's  about  Ad'line,  ain't  it  ?  I 
expected  when  her  husband  died  she  'd  be  right 
back  here  with  what  she  'd  got ;  at  any  rate,  till 
she  'd  raised  the  child  to  some  size.  There  'd  be 
no  expense  here  to  what  she  'd  have  elsewhere, 
and  here's  her  ma'am  beginnin'  to  age.  She  can't 
do  what  she  used  to,  John  was  tellin'  of  me ;  and  I 


24  A   COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

don't  doubt  't  'as  worn  upon  her  more  'n  folks 
thinks." 

"I  don't  lay  no  great  belief  that  John  '11  get 
home  from  court/'  srdd  Jacob  Dyer.  "They  say 
that  court 's  goin'  to  set  till  Christmas  maybe  ; 
there's  an  awful  string  o'  cases  on  the  docket. 
Oh,  't  was  you  told  me,  wa'n't  it  ?  Most  like 
they  '11  let  up  for  a  couple  o'  days  for  Thanks- 
givin',  but  John  might  n't  think  't  was  wuth  his 
while  to  travel  here  and  back  again  'less  he  had 
something  to  do  before  winter  shets  down.  Per 
haps  they  '11  prevail  upon  the  old  lady,  I  wish  they 
would,  I  'm  sure  ;  but  an  only  daughter  forsakin' 
her  so,  't  was  most  too  bad  of  Ad'line.  She  al'ays 
had  dreadful  high  notions  when  she  wa'n't  no 
more  'n  a  baby ;  and,  good  conscience,  how  she 
liked  to  rig  up  when  she  first  used  to  come  back 
from  Lowell !  Better  ha'  put  her  money  out  to 
interest." 

"  I  believe  in  young  folks  makin'  all  they  can 
o'  theirselves,"  announced  Martin,  puffing  hard  at 
his  pipe  and  drawing  a  little  farther  still  from  the 
fireplace,  because  the  scorching  red  coals  had  be 
gun  to  drop  beneath  the  forestick.  "  I  've  give  my 
child'n  the  best  push  forrard  I  could,  an'  you  've 
done  the  same.  •  Ad'line  had  a  dreadful  cravin' 
to  be  somethin'  more  'n  common  ;  but  it  don't 
look  as  if  she  was  goin'  to  make  out  any  great. 
'T  was  unfortunate  her  losin'  of  her  husband,  but 
I  s'pose  you  've  heard  hints  that  they  wa'n't  none 
too  equal-minded.  She  'd  a  done  better  to  have 


AT  JAKE  AND  MARTIN'S.  25 

worked  on  a  while  to  Lowell  and  got  forehanded, 
and  then  married  some  likely  young  fellow  and 
settled  down  here,  or  to  the  Corners  if  she  did  n't 
want  to  farm  it.  There  was  Jim  Hall  used  to 
be  hanging  round,  and  she  'd  been  full  as  well 
off  to-day  if  she  'd  took  him,  too.  'T  ain't  no  use 
for  folks  to  marry  one  that 's  of  another  kind  and 
belongs  different.  It 's  like  two  fiddles  that  plays 
different  tunes,  —  you  can't  make  nothin'  on't,  no 
matter  if  both  on  em  's  trying  their  best,  'less  one 
on  'em  beats  the  other  down  entirely  and  has  all 
the  say,  and  ginerally  't  is  the  worst  one  does  it. 
Ad'line's  husband  wa'n't  nothin'  to  boast  of  from 
all  we  can  gather,  but  they  didn't  think  alike 
about  nothin'.  She  could  'a'  done  well  with  him 
if  there  'd  been  more  of  her.  I  don't  marvel  his 
folks  felt  bad  :  Ad'line  did  n't  act  right  by  'em." 
"Nor  they  by  her,"  said  the  twin  brother.  "  I 
tell  ye  Ad'line  would  have  done  'em  credit  if  she  'd 
been  let.  I  seem  to  think  how  't  was  with  her. 
When  she  was  there  to  work  in  the  shop  she 
thought  't  would  be  smart  to  marry  him  and  then 
she  'd  be  a  lady  for  good  and  all.  And  all  there 
was  of  it,  she  found  his  folks  felt  put  out  and  hurt, 
and  instead  of  pleasing  'em  up  and  doing  the  best 
she  could,  she  did  n't  know  no  better  than  to  ag 
gravate  'em.  She  was  wrong  there,  but  I  hold  to 
it  that  if  they  'd  pleased  her  up  a  little  and  done 
well  by  her,  she  'd  ha'  bloomed  out,  and  fell  right 
in  with  their  ways.  She  's  got  outward  ambitions 
enough,  but  I  view  it  she  was  all  a  part  of  his 


26  A    COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

foolishness  to  them ;  I  dare  say  they  give  her  the 
blame  o'  the  whole  on't.  Ad'line  ought  to  had 
the  sense  to  see  they  had  some  right  on  their  side. 
Folks  say  he  was  the  smartest  fellow  in  his  class 
to  college." 

"  Good  King  Agrippy  !  how  hot  it  does  git,"  said 
Jake  rising  indignantly,  as  if  the  fire  alone  were  to 
blame.  "  I  must  shove  back  the  cider  agin  or 't  will 
bile  over,  spite  of  everything.  But  't  is  called  un 
wholesome  to  get  a  house  full  o'  damp  in  the  fall 
o'  the  year ;  't  will  freeze  an'  thaw  in  the  walls  all 
winter.  I  must  git  me  a  new  pipe  if  we  go  to  the 
Corners  to-morrow.  I  s'pose  I  've  told  ye  of  a  pipe 
a  man  had  aboard  the  schooner  that  time  I  went 
to  sea?" 

Martin  gave  a  little  grumble  of  assent. 

"  'T  was  made  o'  some  sort  o'  whitish  stuff  like 
clay,  but  't  wa'n't  shaped  like  none  else  I  ever  see 
and  it  had  a  silver  trimmin'  round  it ;  't  was  very 
light  to  handle  and  it  drawed  most  excellent.  I 
al'ays  kind  o'  expected  he  may  have  stole  it ;  he 
was  a  hard  lookin'  customer,  a  Dutchman, or  from 
some  o'  them  parts  o'  the  earth.  I  wish  while  I 
was  about  it  I'  d  gone  one  trip  more." 

"  Was  it  you  was  tellin'  me  that  Ad'line  was  to 
work  again  in  Lowell  ?  I  should  n't  think  her 
husband's  folks  would  want  the  child  to  be  fetched 
up  there  in  them  boardin'  houses  "  — 

"  Belike  they  don't,"  responded  Jacob,  "  but 
when  they  get  Ad'line  to  come  round  to  their 
ways  o'  thinkiu'  now,  after  what 's  been  and  gone, 


AT  JAKE  AND  MARTIN'S.  27 

they  '11  have  cause  to  thank  themselves.  She 's  just 
like  her  gre't  grandsir  Thacher ;  you  can  see  she  's 
made  out  o'  the  same  stuff.  You  might  ha'  burnt 
him  to  the  stake,  and  he  'd  stick  to  it  he  liked  it 
better  'n  hanging  andal'ays  meant  to  die  that  way. 
There  's  an  awful  bad  streak  in  them  Thachers, 
an'  you  know  it  as  well  as  I  do.  I  expect  there  '11 
be  bad  and  good  Thachers  to  the  end  o'  time. 
I  'm  glad  for  the  old  lady's  sake  that  John  ain't 
one  o'  the  drinkin'  ones.  Ad'line  '11  give  no  fa 
vors  to  her  husband's  folks,  nor  take  none. 
There  's  plenty  o'  wrongs  to  both  sides,  but  as  I 
view  it,  the  longer  he  'd  lived  the  worse  't  would 
been  for  him.  She  was  a  well  made,  pretty  look- 
in'  girl,  but  I  tell  ye  't  was  like  setting  a  laylock 
bush  to  grow  beside  an  ellum  tree,  and  expecting  of 
'em  to  keep  together.  They  wa'n't  mates.  He  'd 
had  a  different  fetchin'  up,  and  he  was  different, 
and  I  wa'n't  surprised  when  I  come  to  see  how 
things  had  turned  out,  —  I  believe  I  shall  have  to 
set  the  door  open  a  half  a  minute,  't  is  gettin' 
dreadful  "  —  but  there  was  a  sudden  flurry  out 
side,  and  the  sound  of  heavy  footsteps,  the  bark 
of  the  startled  cur,  who  was  growing  very  old  and 
a  little  deaf,  and  Mrs.  Martin  burst  into  the  room 
and  sank  into  the  nearest  chair,  to  gather  a  little 
breath  before  she  could  tell  her  errand.  "  For 
God's  sake  what 's  happened  ?  "  cried  the  men. 

They  presented  a  picture  of  mingled  comfort 
and  misery  at  which  Mrs.  Martin  would  have  first 
laughed  and  then  scolded  at  any  other  time. 


28  A   COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

The  two  honest  red  faces  were  well  back  toward 
the  farther  side  of  the  room  from  the  fire,  which 
still  held  its  own  ;  it  was  growing  toward  low  tide 
in  the  cider  jug  and  its  attendant  mugs,  and  the 
pipes  were  lying  idle.  The  mistress  of  the  old 
farm-house  did  not  fail  to  notice  that  high  treason 
had  been  committed  during  her  short  absence,  but 
she  made  no  comment  upon  the  fireplace  nor  on 
anything  else,  and  gasped  as  soon  as  she  could  that 
one  of  the  men  must  go  right  up  to  the  Corners 
for  the  doctor  and  hurry  back  with  him,  for  't  was 
a  case  of  life  and  death. 

"  Mis'  Thacher  ?  "  "  Was  it  a  shock  ?  "  asked 
the  brothers  in  sorrowful  haste,  while  Mrs.  Martin 
told  the  sad  little  story  of  Adeline's  having  come 
from  nobody  knew  where,  wet  and  forlorn,  carry 
ing  her  child  in  her  arms.  She  looked  as  if  she 
were  in  the  last  stages  of  a  decline.  She  had 
fallen  just  at  the  doorstep  and  they  had  brought 
her  in,  believing  that  she  was  dead.  "  But  while 
there 's  life,  there 's  hope,"  said  Mrs.  Martin,  "  and 
I  '11  go  back  with  you  if  you  '11  harness  up.  Ja 
cob  must  stop  to  look  after  this  gre't  fire  or  't  will 
burn  the  house  down,"  and  this  was  the  punish 
ment  which  befell  Jacob,  since  nothing  else  would 
have  kept  him  from  also  journeying  toward  the 
Thacher  house. 

A  little  later  the  bewildered  horse  had  been 
fully  wakened  and  harnessed ;  Jacob's  daughter 
and  her  lover  had  come  eagerly  out  to  hear  what 


AT  JAKE  AND  MARTIN'S.  29 

c~ — ^ 

had  happened  ;  Mrs.  Martin  had  somehow  found 
a  chance  amidst  all  the  confusion  to  ascend  to  her 
garret  in  quest  of  some  useful  remedies  in  the 
shape  of  herbs,  and  then  she  and  her  husband  set 
forth  on  their  benevolent  errands.  Martin  was 
very  apt  to  look  on  the  dark  side  of  things,  and 
it  was  a  curious  fact  that  while  the  two  sisters 
were  like  the  brothers,  one  being  inclined  to  de 
spondency  and  one  to  enthusiasm,  the  balance  was 
well  kept  by  each  of  the  men  having  chosen  his 
opposite  in  temperament.  Accordingly,  while 
Martin  heaved  a  great  sigh  from  time  to  time  and 
groaned  softly,  "  Pore  gal  —  pore  gal !  "  his  part 
ner  was  brimful  of  zealous  eagerness  to  return. to 
the  scene  of  distress  and  sorrow  which  she  had 
lately  left.  Next  to  the  doctor  himself,  she  was 
the  authority  on  all  medical  subjects  for  that 
neighborhood,  and  it  was  some  time  since  her 
skill  had  been  needed. 

"  Does  the  young  one  seem  likely?"  asked 
Martin  with  solemn  curiosity. 

"  Fur 's  I  could  see,"  answered  his  wife  promptly, 
"  but  nobody  took  no  great  notice  of  it.  Pore 
Adeline  catched  hold  of  it  with  such  a  grip  as  she 
was  comin'  to  that  we  couldn't  git  it  away  from 
her  and  had  to  fetch  'em  in  both  to  once.  Come 
urge  the  beast  along,  Martin,  I  '11  give  ye  tLe  pur- 
tic'lars  to-morrow,  I  do'  know 's  Ad'line  's  livin' 
now.  We  got  her  right  to  bed  's  I  told  you,  and 
I  set  right  off  considerin'  that  I  could  git  over  the 
xground  fastest  of  any.  Mis'  Thacher  of  course 


30  A   COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

would  n't  leave  and  Jane  's  heavier  than  I  be.** 
Martin's  smile  was  happily  concealed  by  the  dark 
ness  ;  his  wife  and  her  sister  had  both  grown  stout 
steadily  as  they  grew  older,  but  each  insisted  upon 
the  other's  greater  magnitude  and  consequent  in 
capacity  for  quick  movement.  A  casual  observer 
would  not  hUve  been  persuaded  that  there  was 
a  pound's  weight  of  difference  between  them. 

Martin  Dyer  meekly  suggested  that  perhaps 
he  'd  better  go  in  a  minute  to  see  if  there  was 
anylfcing  Mis'  Thacher  needed,  but  Eliza,  his  wife, 
promptly  said  that  she  did  n't  want  anything  but 
the  doctor  as  quick  as  she  could  get  him,  and  dis 
appeared  up  the  short  lane  while  the  wagon  rat 
tled  away  up  the  road.  The  white  mist  from  the 
river  clung  close  to  the  earth,  and  it  was  impossi 
ble  to  see  even  the  fences  near  at  hand,  though 
overhead  there  were  a  few  dim  stars.  The  air 
had  grown  somewhat  softer,  yet  there  was  a  sharp 
chill  in  it,  and  the  ground  was  wet  and  sticky 
under  foot.  There  were  lights  in  the  bedroom 
and  in  the  kitchen  of  the  Thacher  house,  but  sud 
denly  the  bedroom  candle  flickered  away  and  the 
window  was  darkened.  Mrs.  Martin's  heart  gave 
a  quick  throb,  perhaps  Adeline  had  already  died. 
It  might  have  been  a  short-sighted  piece  of  busi 
ness  that  she  had  gone  home  for  her  husband. 


IV. 

LIFE   AND   DEATH. 

THE  sick  woman  had  refused  to  stay  in  the 
bedroom  after  she  had  come  to  her  senses.  She 
had  insisted  that  she  could  not  breathe,  and  that 
she  was  cold  and  must  go  back  to  the  kitchen. 
Her  mother  and  Mrs.  Jake  had  wrapped  her  in 
blankets  and  drawn  the  high-backed  wooden  rock 
ing  chair  close  to  the  stove,  and  here  she  was  just 
established  when  Mrs.  Martin  opened  the  outer 
door.  Any  one  of  less  reliable  nerves  would  have 
betrayed  the  shock  which  the  sight  of  such  des 
perate  illness  must  have  given.  The  pallor,  the 
suffering,  the  desperate  agony  of  the  eyes,  were 
far  worse  than  the  calmness  of  death,  but  Mrs. 
Martin  spoke  cheerfully,  and  even  when  her  sis 
ter  whispered  that  their  patient  had  been  attacked 
by  a  hemorrhage,  she  manifested  no  concern. 

"How  long  has  this  be'n  a-goin'  on,  Ad'line? 
Why  did  n't  you  come  home  before  and  get  doc 
tored  up  ?  You  're  all  run  down."  Mrs.  Tliacher 
looked  frightened  when  this  questioning  began, 
but  turned  her  face  toward  her  daughter,  eager 
to  hear  the  answer. 

"  I'  ve  been  sick  off  and  on  all  summer,"  said 


82  A    COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

the  young  woman,  as  if  it  were  almost  impossible 
to  make  the  effort  of  speaking.  "  See  if  the 
baby  's  covered  up  warm,  will  you,  Aunt  'Liza  ?  " 

"  Yes,  dear,"  said  the  kind-hearted  woman,  the 
tears  starting  to  her  eyes  at  the  sound  of  the  fa 
miliar  affectionate  fashion  of  speech  which  Ade 
line  had  used  in  her  childhood.  "  Don't  you 
worry  one  mite  ;  we  're  going  to  take  care  of  you 
and  the  little  gal  too  ;  "  and  then  nobody  spoke, 
while  the  only  sound  was  the  difficult  breathing 
of  the  poor  creature  by  the  fire.  She  seemed  like 
one  dying,  there  was  so  little  life  left  in  her  after 
her  piteous  homeward  journey.  The  mother 
watched  her  eagerly  with  a  mingled  feeling  of 
despair  and  comfort ;  it  was  terrible  to  have  a 
child  return  in  such  sad  plight,  but  it  was  a  bless 
ing  to  have  her  safe  at  home,  and  to  be  able  to 
minister  to  her  wants  while  life  lasted. 

They  all  listened  eagerly  for  the  sound  of 
wheels,  but  it  seemed  a  long  time  before  Martin 
Dyer  returned  with  the  doctor.  He  had  been  met 
just  as  he  was  coming  in  from  the  other  direction, 
and  the  two  men  had  only  paused  while  the  tired 
horse  was  made  comfortable,  and  a  sleepy  boy 
dispatched  with  the  medicine  for  which  he  had 
long  been  waiting.  The  doctor's  housekeeper  had 
besought  him  to  wait  long  enough  to  eat  the  sup 
per  which  she  had  kept  waiting,  but  he  laughed  at 
her  and  shook  his  head  gravely,  as  if  he  already 
.understood  that  there  should  be  no  delay.  When 
he  was  fairly  inside  the  Thacher  kitchen,  the  bene* 


LIFE  AND  DEATH.  33 

faction  of  his  presence  was  felt  by  every  one.  It 
was  most  touching  to  see  the  patient's  face  lose  its 
worried  look,  and  grow  quiet  and  comfortable  as 
if  here  were  some  one  on  whom  she  could  entirely 
depend.  The  doctor's  greeting  was  an  every-day 
cheerful  response  to  the  women's  welcome,  and  he 
stood  for  a  minute  warming  his  hands  at  the  fire 
as  if  he  had  come  upon  a  commonplace  errand. 
There  was  something  singularly  self-reliant  and 
composed  about  him ;  one  felt  that  he  was  the 
wielder  of  great  powers  over  the  enemies,  disease 
and  pain,  and  that  his  brave  hazel  eyes  showed  a 
rare  thoughtfulness  and  foresight.  The  rough 
driving  coat  which  he  had  thrown  off  revealed  a 
slender  figure  with  the  bowed  shoulders  of  an 
untiring  scholar.  His  head  was  finely  set  and 
scholarly,  and  there  was  that  about  him  which 
gave  certainty,  not  only  of  his  sagacity  and  skill, 
but  of  his  true  manhood,  his  mastery  of  himself. 
Not  only  in  this  farm-house  kitchen,  but  wherever 
one  might  place  him,  he  instinctively  took  com 
mand,  while  from  his  great  knowledge  of  human 
nature  he  could  understand  and  help  many  of  his 
patients  whose  ailments  were  not  wholly  physical. 
He  seemed  to  read  at  a  glance  the  shame  and 
sorrow  of  the  young  woman  who  had  fled  to 
the  home  of  her  childhood,  dying  and  worse  than 
defeated,  from  the  battle-field  of  life.  And  in 
this  first  moment  he  recognized  with  dismay  the 
effects  of  that  passion  for  strong  drink  which  had 

been  the  curse  of  more  than  one  of  her  ancestors, 
a 


34  A   COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

Even  the  pallor  and  the  purifying  influence  of  her 
mortal  illness  could  not  disguise  these  unmistak 
able  signs. 

"  You  can't  do  me  any  good,  doctor,"  she 
whispered.  "  I  should  n't  have  let  you  come  if  it 
had  been  only  that.  I  don't  care  how  soon  I  am 
out  of  this  world.  But  I  want  you  should  look 
after  my  little  girl,"  and  the  poor  soul  watched  the 
physician's  face  with  keen  anxiety  as  if  she  feared 
to  see  a  shadow  of  unwillingness,  but  none  came. 

u  I  will  do  the  best  I  can,"  and  he  still  held  her 
wrist,  apparently  thinking  more  of  the  fluttering 
pulse  than  of  what  poor  Adeline  was  saying. 

"  That  was  what  made  me  willing  to  come 
back,"  she  continued,  "  you  don't  know  how  close 
I  came  to  not  doing  it  either.  John  will  be  good 
to  her,  but  she  will  need  somebody  that  knows 
the  world  better  by  and  by.  I  wonder  if  you 
could  n't  show  me  how  to  make  out  a  paper 
giving  you  the  right  over  her  till  she  is  of  age  ? 
She  must  stay  here  with  mother,  long  as  she  wants 
her.  'T  is  what  I  wish  I  had  kept  sense  enough 
to  do ;  life  has  n't  been  all  play  to  me ; "  and  the 
tears  began  to  roll  quickly  down  the  poor  crea 
ture's  thin  cheeks.  "  The  only  thing  I  care  about 
is  leaving  the  baby  well  placed,  and  I  want  her 
to  have  a  good  chance  to  grow  up  a  useful  woman. 
And  most  of  all  to  keep  her  out  of  their  hands,  I 
mean  her  father's  folks.  I  hate  'em,  and  he  cared 
more  for  'em  than  he  did  for  me,  long  at  the  last 
of  it.  ...  I  could  tell  you  stories  I  "  — 


LIFE  AND  DEATH.  35 

"But  not  to -night,  Addy,"  said  the  doctor 
gravely,  as  if  he  were  speaking  to  a  child.  "  We 
must  put  you  to  bed  and  to  sleep,  and  you  can 
talk  about  all  these  troublesome  things  in  the 
morning.  You  shall  see  about  the  papers  too,  if 
you  think  best.  Be  a  good  girl  now,  and  let  your 
mother  help  you  to  bed."  For  the  resolute  spirit 
had  summoned  the  few  poor  fragments  of  vitality 
that  were  left,  and  the  sick  woman  was  growing 
more  and  more  excited.  "  You  may  have  all  the 
pillows  you  wish  for,  and  sit  up  in  bed  if  you  Like, 
but  you  must  n't  stay  here  any  longer,"  and  he 
gathered  her  in  his  arms  and  quickly  carried  her 
to  the  next  room.  She. made  no  resistance,  and 
took  the  medicine  which  Mrs.  Martin  brought, 
without  a  word.  There  was  a  blazing  fire  now  in 
the  bedroom  fire-place,  and,  as  she  lay  still,  her 
face  took  on  a  satisfied,  rested  look.  Her  mother 
sat  beside  her,  tearful,  and  yet  contented  and  glad 
to  have  her  near,  and  the  others  whispered  to 
gether  in  the  kitchen.  It  might  have  been  the 
last  night  of  a  long  illness  instead  of  the  sudden, 
startling  entrance  of  sorrow  in  human  shape. 
"  No,"  said  the  doctor,  "  she  cannot  last  much 
longer  with  such  a  cough  as  that,  Mrs.  Dyer. 
She  has  almost  reached  the  end  of  it.  I  only 
hope  that  she  will  go  quickly." 

And  sure  enough  ;  whether  the  fatal  illness  had 
run  its  natural  course,  or  whether  the  excitement 
and  the  forced  strength  of  the  evening  before  had 
exhausted  the  small  portion  of  strength  that  was 


36  A    COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

left,  when  the  late  dawn  lighted  again  those  who 
watched,  it  found  them  sleeping,  and  one  was 
never  to  wake  again  in  the  world  she  had  found 
so  disappointing  to  her  ambitions,  and  so  untrue 
to  its  fancied  promises. 

The  doctor  had  promised  to  return  early,  but  it 
was  hardly  daylight  before  there  was  another  visi 
tor  in  advance  of  him.  Old  Mrs.  Meeker,  a  neigh 
bor  whom  nobody  liked,  but  whose  favor  every 
body  for  some  reason  or  other  was  anxious  to  keep, 
came  knocking  at  the  door,  and  was  let  in  some 
what  reluctantly  by  Mrs.  Jake,  who  was  just  pre 
paring  to  go  home  in  order  to  send  one  or  both 
the  brothers  to  the  village  and  .to  acquaint  John 
Thacher  with  the  sad  news  of  his  sister's  death. 
He  was  older  than  Adeline,  and  a  silent  man, 
already  growing  to  be  elderly  in  his  appearance. 
The  women  had  told  themselves  and  each  other 
that  he  would  take  this  sorrow  very  hard,  and 
Mrs.  Thacher  had  said  sorrowfully  that  she  must 
hide  her  daughter's  poor  worn  clothes,  since  it 
would  break  John's  heart  to  know  she  had  come 
home  so  beggarly.  The  shock  of  so  much  trouble 
was  stunning  the  mother;  she  did  not  understand 
yet,  she  kept  telling  the  kind  friends  who  sorrowed 
with  her,  as  she  busied  herself  with  the  prepara 
tions  for  the  funeral.  "  It  don't  seem  as  if  't  was 
Addy,"  she  said  over  and  over  again,  "  but  I  feel 
safe  about  her  now,  to  what  I  did,"  and  Mrs. 
Jake  and  Mrs.  Martin,  good  helpful  souls  and 


LIFE  AND  DEATH.  37 

brimful  of  compassion,  went  to  and  fro  with  their 
usual  diligence  almost  as  if  this  were  nothing  oufc 
of  the  common  course  of  events. 

Mrs.  Meeker  had  heard  the  wagon  go  by  and 
had  caught  the  sound  of  the  doctor's  voice,  her 
house  being  close  by  the  road,  and  she  had  also 
watched  the  unusual  lights.  It  was  annoying  to 
the  Dyers  to  have  to  answer  questions,  and  to  be 
called  upon  to  grieve  outwardly  just  then,  and  it 
seemed  disloyal  to  the  dead  woman  in  the  next 
room  to  enter  upon  any  discussion  of  her  affairs. 
But  presently  the  little  child,  whom  nobody  had 
thought  of  except  to  see  that  she  still  slept,  waked 
and  got  down  from  the  old  settle  where  she  had 
spent  the  night,  and  walked  with  unsteady  short 
footsteps  toward  her  grandmother,  who  caught  her 
quickly  and  held  her  fast  in  her  arms.  The  little 
thing  looked  puzzled,  and  frowned,  and  seemed 
for  a  moment  unhappy,  and  then  the  sunshine  of 
her  good  nature  drove  away  the  clouds  and  she 
clapped  her  hands  and  laughed  aloud,  while  Mrs. 
Meeker  began  to  cry  again  at  the  sight  of  this 
unconscious  orphan. 

"  I'm  sure  I  'm  glad  she  can  laugh,"  said  Mrs. 
Martin.  "  She  '11  find  enough  to  cry  about  later 
on  ;  I  foresee  she  '11  be  a  great  deal  o'  company  to 
you,  Mis'  Thacher." 

"  Though  't  ain't  every  one  that  has  the 
strength  to  fetch  up  a  child  after  they  reach  your 
years,"  said  Mrs.  Meeker,  mournfully.  "  It 's  anx 
ious  work,  but  I  don't  doubt  strength  will  bo 


38  A   COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

given  you.  I  s'pose  likely  her  father's  folks  will 
do  a  good  deal  for  her,"  —  and  the  three  women 
]ooked  at  each  other,  but  neither  took  it  upon  her 
self  to  answer. 

All  that  day  the  neighbors  and  acquaintances 
came  and  went  in  the  lane  that  led  to  the  farm 
house.  The  brothers  Jake  and  Martin  made  jour 
neys  to  and  from  the  village.  At  night  John 
Thacher  came  home  from  court  with  as  little  to 
say  as  ever,  but,  as  everybody  observed,  looking 
years  older.  Young  Mrs.  Prince's  return  and  sud 
den  death  were  the  only  subjects  worth  talking 
about  in  all  the  country  side,  and  the  doctor  had 
to  run  the  usual  gauntlet  of  questions  from  all 
his  outlying  patients  and  their  families.  Old  Mrs. 
Thacher  looked  pale  and  excited,  and  insisted  upon 
seeing  every  one  who  came  to  the  house,  with 
evident  intention  to  play  her  part  in  this  strange 
drama  with  exactness  and  courtesy.  A  funeral  in 
the  country  is  always  an  era  in  a  family's  life; 
events  date  from  it  and  centre  in  it.  There  are 
so  few  circumstances  that  have  in  the  least  a  pub 
lic  nature  that  these  conspicuous  days  receive  all 
the  more  attention. 

But  while  death  seems  far  more  astonishing 
and  unnatural  in  a  city,  where  the  great  tide  of 
life  rises  and  falls  with  little  apparent  regard  to 
the  sinking  wrecks,  in  the  country  it  is  not  so. 
The  neighbors  themselves  are  those  who  dig  the 
grave  and  carry  the  dead,  whom  they  or  their 
friends  have  made  ready,  to  the  last  resting-place. 


LIFE  AND  DEATH.  39 

With  all  nature  looking  on,  —  the  leaves  that 
must  fall,  and  the  grass  of  the  field  that  must 
wither  and  be  gone  when  the  wind  passes  over,  — 
living  closer  to  life  and  in  plainer  sight  of  death, 
they  have  a  different  sense  of  the  mysteries  of  ex 
istence.  They  pay  homage  to  Death  rather  than 
to  tJ:e  dead;  they  gather  from  fV  lonely  farms 
by  scores  because  there  is  a  funeral,  and  not  be 
cause  their  friend  is  dead ;  and  the  day  of  Ade 
line  Prince's  burial,  the  marvelous  circumstances, 
with  which  the  whole  town  was  already  familiar, 
brought  a  great  company  together  to  follow  her 
on  her  last  journey. 

The  day  was  warm  and  the  sunshine  fell  cares 
singly  over  the  pastures  as  if  it  were  trying  to  call 
back  the  flowers.  By  afternoon  there  was  a  tinge 
of  greenness  on  the  slopes  and  under  the  gnarled 
apple-trees,  that  had  been  lost  for  days  before, 
and  the  distant  hills  and  mountains,  which  could 
be  seen  in  a  circle  from  the  high  land  where  the 
Thacher  farm-house  stood,  were  dim  and  blue 
through  the  Indian  summer  haze.  The  old  men 
who  came  to  the  funeral  wore  their  faded  winter 
overcoats  and  clumsy  caps  all  ready  to  be  pulled 
down  over  their  ears  if  the  wind  should  change ; 
and  their  wives  were  also  warmly  wrapped,  with 
great  shawls  over  their  rounded,  hard -worked 
shoulders ;  yet  they  took  the  best  warmth  and 
pleasantness  into  their  hearts,  and  watched  the  sad 
proceedings  of  the  afternoon  with  deepest  interest. 
The  doctor  came  hurrying  toward  home  just  aa 


40  A   COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

the  long  pror  'ssion  was  going  down  the  pasture, 
und  he  saw  It  crossing  a  h  v  hill;  a  dark  and  slen 
der  column  with  Lvue  aiu  there  a  child  walking 
beside  one  of  the  elder  mourners.  The  bearers 
went  first  with  the  bier;  the  track  was  uneven, 
and  the  procession  was  lost  to  sight  now  and  then 
behind  the  slopes.  It  was  forever  a  mystery ; 
these  people  might  have  been  a  company  of  Druid 
worshipers,  or  of  strange  northern  priests  and 
their  people,  and  the  doctor  checked  his  impatient 
horse  as  he  watched  the  retreating  figures  at  their 
simple  ceremony.  He  could  not  help  thinking 
svhat  strange  ways  this  child  of  the  old  farm  had 
followed,  and  what  a  quiet  ending  it  was  to  her 
wandering  life.  "  And  I  have  promised  to  look 
after  the  little  girl,"  he  said  to  himself  as  he  drove 
away  up  the  road. 

It  was  a  long  walk  for  the  elderly  people  from 
the  house  near  the  main  highway  to  the  little 
burying-ground.  In  the  earliest  days  of  the  farm 
the  dwelling-place  was  nearer  the  river,  which  was 
then  the  chief  thoroughfare ;  and  those  of  the  fam 
ily  who  had  died  then  were  buried  on  the  level 
bit  of  upland  ground  high  above  the  river  itself. 
There  was  a  wide  outlook  over  the  country,  and 
the  young  pine  trees  that  fringed  the  shore  sang 
in  the  south  wind,  while  some  great  birds  swung 
to  and  fro  overhead,  watching  the  water  and  the 
strange  company  of  people  who  had  come  so  slowly 
over  the  land.  A  flock  of  sheep  had  ventured  to 


LIFE  AND  DEATH.  41 

the  nearest  hillock  of  the  next  pasture,  and  stood 
there  fearfully,  with  upraised  heads,  as  if  they 
looked  for  danger. 

John  Thacher  had  brought  his  sister's  child  all 
the  way  in  his  arms,  and  she  had  clapped  her 
hands  and  laughed  aloud  and  tried  to  talk  a  great 
deal  with  the  few  words  she  had  learned  to  say. 
She  was  very  gay  in  her  baby  fashion  ;  she  was 
amused  with  the  little  crowd  so  long  as  it  did  not 
trouble  her.  She  fretted  only  when  the  grave,  kind 
man,  for  whom  she  had  instantly  felt  a  great  affec 
tion,  stayed  too  long  by  that  deep  hole  in  the 
ground  and  wept  as  he  saw  a  strange  thing  that 
the  people  had  carried  all  the  way,  put  down  into 
it  out  of  sight.  When  he  walked  on  again,  she 
laughed  and  played ;  but  after  they  had  reached 
the  empty  gray  house,  which  somehow  looked  that 
day  as  if  it  were  a  mourner  also,  she  shrank 
from  all  the  strangers,  and  seemed  dismayed  and 
perplexed,  and  called  her  mother  eagerly  again  and. 
again.  This  touched  many  a  heart.  The  dead 
woman  had  been  more  or  less  unfamiliar  of  late 
years  to.  all  of  them  ;  and  there  were  few  who  had 
really  grieved  for  her  until  her  little  child  had 
reminded  them  of  its  own  loneliness  and  loss. 

That  night,  after  the  house  was  still,  John 
Thacher  wrote  to  acquaint  Miss  Prince,  of  Dun* 
port,  with  his  sister's  death  and  to  say  that  it  was 
her  wish  that  the  child  should  remain  with  them 
during  its  minority.  They  should  formally  ar> 


42  A    COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

point  the  guardian  whom  she  had  selected  ;  they 
would  do  their  best  by  the  little  girl.  And  when 
Mrs.  Thacher  asked  if  he  had  blamed  Miss  Prince, 
he  replied  that  he  had  left  that  to  her  own  con 
science. 

In  the  answer  which  was  quickly  returned,  there 
was  a  plea  for  the  custody  of  the  child,  her  mother's 
and  her  own  namesake,  but  this  was  indignantly 
refused.  There  was  no  love  lost  between  the 
town  and  the  country  household,  and  for  many 
years  all  intercourse  was  at  an  end.  Before  twelve 
months  were  past,  John  Thacher  himself  was  car 
ried  down  to  the  pasture  burying-ground,  and  his 
old  mother  and  the  little  child  were  left  to  comfort 
and  take  care  of  each  other  as  best  they  could  in 
the  lonely  farm-housp.. 


V. 

A  SUNDAY  VISIT. 

T$  the  gray  house  on  the  hill,  one  spring  went 
by  and  another,  and  it  seemed  to  the  busy  doctor 
only  a  few  months  from  the  night  he  first  saw 
his  ward  before  she  was  old  enough  to  come  so 
berly  to  church  with  her  grandmother.  He  had 
always  seen  her  from  time  to  time,  for  he  had  of te? 
been  called  to  the  farm  or  to  the  Dyers  and  ha 
watched  her  at  play.  Once  she  had  stopped  him 
as  he  drove  by  to  give  him  a  little  handful  of  blue 
violets,  and  this  had  gone  straight  to  his  heart,  for 
he  had  been  made  too  great  a  bugbear  to  most 
children  to  look  for  any  favor  at  their  hands. 
He  always  liked  to  see  her  come  into  church  on 
Sundays,  her  steps  growing  quicker  and  surer  as 
her  good  grandmother's  became  more  feeble.  The 
doctor  was  a  lonely  man  in  spite  of  his  many 
friends,  and  he  found  himself  watching  for  the  lit 
tle  brown  face  that,  half-way  across  the  old  meet 
ing-house,  would  turn  round  to  look  for  him  more 
than  once  during  the  service.  At  first  there  was 
only  the  top  of  little  Nan  Prince's  prim  best  bon 
net  or  hood  to  be  seen,  unless  it  was  when  she 


44  A   COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

stood  up  in  prayer-time,  but  soon  the  bright  eyes 
rose  like  stars  above  the  horizon  of  the  pew  rail 
ing,  and  next  there  was  the  whole  well-poised 
little  head,  and  the  tall  child  was  possessed  by  a 
sense  of  propriety,  and  only  ventured  one  or  tw? 
discreet  glances  at  her  old  friend. 

The  office  of  guardian  was  not  one  of  great 
tasks  or  of  many  duties,  though  the  child's  aunt 
had  insisted  upon  making  an  allowance  for  her  of 
a  hundred  dollars  a  year,  and  this  was  duly  ac 
knowledged  and  placed  to  its  owner's  credit  in 
the  savings  bank  of  the  next  town.  Her  grand 
mother  Thacher  always  refused  to  spend  it,  say 
ing  proudly  that  she  had  never  been  beholden  to 
Miss  Prince  and  she  never  meant  to  be,  and  while 
she  lived  the  aunt  and  niece  should  be  kept  apart. 
She  would  not  say  that  her  daughter  had  never 
been  at  fault,  but  it  was  through  the  Princes  all 
the  trouble  of  her  life  had  come. 

Dr.  Leslie  was  mindful  of  his  responsibilities, 
and  knew  more  of  his  ward  than  was  ever  sus 
pected.  He  was  eager  that  the  best  district 
school  teacher  who  could  be  found  should  be  pro 
cured  for  the  Thacher  and  Dyer  neighborhood, 
and  in  many  ways  he  took  pains  that  the  little 
girl  should  have  all  good  things  that  were  possible. 
He  only  laughed  when  her  grandmother  com 
plained  that  Nan  would  not  be  driven  to  school, 
much  less  persuaded,  and  that  she  was  playing  in 
the  brook,  or  scampering  over  the  pastures  when 


A  SUNDAY  VISIT.  45 

she  should  be  doing  other  things.  Mrs.  Thacher, 
perhaps  unconsciously,  had  looked  for  some  trace 
of  the  father's  good  breeding  and  gentlefolk  fash 
ions,  but  this  was  not  a  child  who  took  kindly 
to  needlework  and  pretty  clothes.  She  was  fear 
lessly  friendly  with  every  one ;  she  did  not  seem 
confused  even  when  the  minister  came  to  make  his 
yearly  parochial  visitation,  and  as  for  the  doctor, 
he  might  have  been  her  own  age,  for  all  humil 
ity  she  thought  it  necessary  to  show  in  the  pres 
ence  of  this  chief  among  her  elders  and  betters. 
Old  Mrs.  Thacher  gave  little  pulls  at  her  grand 
daughter's  sleeves  when  she  kept  turning  to  see 
the  doctor  in  sermon-time,  but  she  never  knew 
how  glad  he  was,  or  how  willingly  he  smiled 
when  he  felt  the  child's  eyes  watching  him  as  a 
dog's  might  have  done,  forcing  him  to  forget  the 
preaching  altogether  and  to  attend  to  this  dumb 
request  for  sympathy.  One  blessed  day  Dr.  Les 
lie  had  waited  in  the  church  porch  and  gravely 
taken  the  child's  hand  as  she  came  out ;  and  said 
that  he  should  like  to  take  her  home  with  him  ; 
he  was  going  to  the  lower  part  of  the  town  late 
in  the  afternoon  and  would  leave  her  then  at  the 
farm-house. 

"  I  was  going  to  ask  you  for  something  for 
her  shoulder,"  said  Grandmother  Thacher,  much 
pleased,  "  she  '11  tell  you  about  it,  it  was  a  fall 
she  had  out  of  an  apple-tree,"  —  and  Nan  looked 
up  with  not  a  little  apprehension,  but  presently 


46  A    COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

tucked  her  small  hand  inside  the  doctor's  and  was 
more  than  ready  to  go  with  him.  "  I  thought  she 
looked  a  little  pale,"  the  doctor  said,  to  which 
Mrs.  Thacher  answered  that  it  was  a  merciful 
Providence  who  had  kept  the  child  from  break 
ing  her  neck,  and  then,  being  at  the  foot  of  the 
church  steps,  they  separated.  It  had  been  a  great 
trial  to  the  good  woman  to  give  up  the  afternoon 
service,  but  she  was  growing  old,  as  she  told  her 
self  often  in  those  days,  and  felt,  as  she  certainly 
looked,  greatly  older  than  her  years. 

"  I  feel  as  if  Anna  was  sure  of  one  good  friend, 
whether  I  stay  with  her  or  not,"  said  the  grand 
mother  sorrowfully,  as  she  drove  toward  home 
that  Sunday  noon  with  Jacob  D}^er  and  his  wife. 
"  I  never  saw  the  doctor  so  taken  with  a  child 
before.  'T  was  a  pity  he  had  to  lose  his  own,  and 
his  wife  too;  how  many  years  ago  was  it?  I 
should  think  he  'd  be  lonesome,  though  to  be  sure 
he  is  n't  in  the  house  much.  Marilla  Thomas 
keeps  his  house  as  clean  as  a  button  and  she  has 
been  a  good  stand-by  for  him,  but  it  always 
seemed  sort  o'  homesick  there  ever  since  the  day 
I  was  to  his  wife's  funeral.  She  made  an  awful 
sight  o'  friends  considering  she  was  so  little  while 
in  the  place.  Well  I  'm  glad  I  let  Nanny  wear 
her  best  dress ;  I  set  out  not  to,  it  looked  so  much 
like  rain." 

Whatever  Marilla  Thomas's  other  failings 
might  have  been,  she  certainly  was  kind  that  day 


A   SUNDAY  VISIT.  47 

to  the  doctor's  little  guest.  It  would  have  been 
a  hard-hearted  person  indeed  who  did  not  enter 
somewhat  into  the  spirit  of  the  child's  delight.  In 
spite  of  its  being  the  first  time  she  had  ever  sat  at 
any  table  but  her  grandmother's,  she  was  not  awk 
ward  or  uncomfortable,  and  was  so  hungry  that 
she  gave  pleasure  to  her  entertainers  in  that  way 
if  no  other.  The  doctor  leaned  back  in  his  chair 
and  waited  while  the  second  portion  of  pudding 
slowly  disappeared,  though  Marilla  could  have 
told  that  he  usually  did  not  give  half  time  enough 
to  his  dinner  and  was  off  like  an  arrow  the  first 
possible  minute.  Before  he  took  his  often  in 
terrupted  afternoon  nap,  lie  inquired  for  the  dam 
aged  shoulder  and  requested  a  detailed  account  of 
the  accident ;  and  presently  they  were  both  laugh 
ing  heartily  at  Nan's  disaster,  for  she  owned  that 
she  had  chased  and  treed  a  stray  young  squirrel, 
and  that  a  mossy  branch  of  one  of  the  old  apple- 
trees  in  the  straggling  orchard  had  failed  to  bear 
even  so  light  a  weight  as  hers.  Nan  had  come  to 
the  ground  because  she  would  not  loose  her  hold 
of  the  squirrel,  though  he  had  slipped  through  her 
hands  after  all  as  she  carried  him  towards  home. 
The  guest  was  proud  to  become  a  patient,  espe 
cially  as  the  only  remedy  that  was  offered  was  a 
very  comfortable  handful  of  sugar-plums.  Nan 
had  never  owned  so  many  at  once,  and  in  a  trans 
port  of  gratitude  and  affection  she  lifted  her  face 
to  kiss  so  dear  a  benefactor- 


48  A    COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

Her  eyes  looked  up  into  his,  and  her  simple 
nature  was  so  unconscious  of  the  true  dangers 
and  perils  of  this  world,  that  his  very  heart  was 
touched  with  compassion,  and  he  leagued  himself 
with  the  child's  good  angel  to  defend  her  against 
her  enemies. 

And  Nan  took  fast  hold  of  the  doctor's  hand  as 
they  went  to  the  study.  This  was  the  only  room 
in  the  house  which  she  had  seen  before ;  and 
was  so  much  larger  and  pleasanter  than  any  she 
knew  elsewhere  that  she  took  great  delight  in  it. 
It  was  a  rough  place  now,  the  doctor  thought,  but 
always  very,  comfortable,  and  he  laid  himself  down 
on  the  great  sofa  with  a  book  in  his  hand,  though 
after  a  few  minutes  he  grew  sleepy  and  only 
opened  his  eyes  once  to  see  that  Nan  was  perched 
in  the  largest  chair  with  her  small  hands  folded, 
and  her  feet  very  far  from  the  floor.  "  You  may 
run  out  to  see  Marilla,  or  go  about  the  house  any 
where  you  like  ;  or  there  are  some  picture-papers 
on  the  table,"  the  doctor  said  drowsily,  and  the 
visitor  slipped  down  from  her  throne  and  went 
softly  away. 

She  had  thought  the  study  a  very  noble  room 
until  she  had  seen  the  dining-room,  but  now  she 
wished  for  another  look  at  the  pictures  there  and 
the  queer  clock,  and  the  strange,  grand  things  on 
the  sideboard.  The  old-fashioned  comfort  of  the 
house  was  perfect  splendor  to  the  child,  and  she 
went  about  on  tiptoe  up  stairs  and  down,  looking 


A   SUNDAY   F7S/r.  49 

in  at  the  open  doors,  while  she  lingered  wist 
fully  before  the  closed  ones.  She  wondered  at  the 
great  bedsteads  with  their  high  posts  and  dimity 
hangings,  and  at  the  carpets,  and  the  worthy 
Marilla  watched  her  for  a  moment  as  she  stood 
on  the  threshold  of  the  doctor's  own  room.  The 
child's  quick  ear  caught  the  rustle  of  the  house 
keeper's  Sunday  gown;  she  whispered  with  shin 
ing  eyes  that  she  thought  the  house  was  beautiful. 
Did  Marilla  live  here  all  the  time  ? 

"  Bless  you,  yes  !  "  replied  Marilla,  not  without 
pride,  though  she  added  that  nobody  knew  what 
a  sight  of  care  it  was. 

" 1  suppose  y'r  aunt  in  Dunport  lives  a  good 
deal  better  than  this ;  "  but  the  child  only  looked 
puzzled  and  did  not  answer,  while  the  housekeeper 
hurried  away  to  the  afternoon  meeting,  for  which 
the  bell  was  -already  tolling. 

The  doctor  slept  on  in  the  shaded  study,  and 
after  Nan  had  grown  tired  of  walking  softly  about 
the  house,  she  found  her  way  into  the  garden. 
After  all,  there  was  nothing  better  than  being  out 
of  doors,  and  the  apple-trees  seemed  most  famil 
iar  and  friendly,  though  she  pitied  them  for  being 
placed  so  near  each  other.  She  discovered  a  bench 
under  a  trellis  where  a  grape-vine  and  a  clematis 
were  tangled  together,  and  here  she  sat  down  to 
spend  a  little  time  before  the  doctor  should  call 
her.  She  wished  she  could  stay  longer  than  that 
one  short  afternoon  ;  perhaps  some  time  or  other 
the  doctor  would  invite  her  again.  But  what  could 


50  A    COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

Marilla  have  meant  about  her  aunt  ?  She  had  no 
aunts  except  Mrs.  Jake  and  Mrs.  Martin  ;  Marilla 
must  well  know  that  their  houses  were  not  like 
Dr.  Leslie's  ;  and  little  Nan  built  herself  a  fine 
castle  in  Spain,  of  which  this  unknown  aunt  was 
queen.  Certainly  her  grandmother  had  now  and 
then  let  fall  a  word  about  "  your  father's  folks  "  — 
by  and  by  they  might  come  to  see  her ! 

The  grape  leaves  were  waving  about  in  the 
warm  wind,  and  they  made  a  flickering  light  and 
shade  upon  the  ground.  The  clematis  was  in 
bloom,  and  its  soft  white  plumes  fringed  the  arch 
way  of  the  lattice  work.  As  the  child  looked 
down  the  garden  walk  it  seemed  very  long  and 
very  beautiful  to  her.  Her  grandmother's  flower- 
garden  had  been  constantly  encroached  upon  by 
the  turf  which  surrounded  it,  until  the  snowberry 
bush,  the  London  pride,  the  tiger-lilies,  and  the 
crimson  phlox  were  like  a  besieged  garrison. 

Nan  had  already  found  plenty  of  wild  flowers 
in  the  world  ;  there  were  no  entertainments  pro 
vided  for  her  except  those  the  fields  and  pastures 
kindly  spread  before  her  admiring  eyes.  Old  Mrs. 
Thacher  had  been  brought  up  to  consider  the 
hard  work  of  this  life,  and  though  she  had  taken 
her  share  of  enjoyment  as  she  went  along,  it  was 
of  a  somewhat  grim  and  sober  sort.  She  believed 
that  a  certain  amount  of  friskiness  was  as  neces 
sary  to  young  human  beings  as  it  is  to  colts,  but 
later  both  must  be  harnessed  and  made  to  work. 
As  for  pleasure  itself  she  had  little  notion  of  that, 


A  SUNDAY   VISIT.  51 

She  liked  fair  weather,  and  certain  flowers  were 
to  her  the  decorations  of  certain  useful  plants, 
but  if  she  had  known  that  her  grand-daughter 
could  lie  down  beside  the  anemones  and  watch 
them  move  in  the  wind  and  nod  their  heads,  and 
afterward  look  up  into  the  blue  sky  to  watch  the 
great  gulls  above  the  river,  or  the  sparrows  flying 
low,  or  the  crows  who  went  higher,  Mrs.  Thacher 
would  have  understood  almost  nothing  of  such 
delights,  and  thought  it  a  very  idle  way  of  spend 
ing  one's  time. 

But  as  Nan  sat  in  the  old  summer-house  in  the 
doctor's  garden,  she  thought  of  many  things  that 
she  must  remember  to  tell  her  grandmother  about 
this  delightful  day.  The  bees  were  humming  in 
the  vines,  and  as  she  looked  down  the  wide  garden- 
walk  it  seemed  like  the  broad  aisle  in  church,  and 
the  congregation  of  plants  and  bushes  all  looked 
at  her  as  if  she  were  in  the  pulpit.  The  church 
itself  was  not  far  away,  and  the  windows  were 
open,  and  sometimes  Nan  could  hear  the  preach 
er's  voice,  and  by  and  by  the  people  began  to 
sing,  and  she  rose  solemnly,  as  if  it  were  her  own 
parishioners  in  the  garden  who  lifted  up  their 
voices.  A  cheerful  robin  began  a  loud  solo  in 
one  of  Dr.  Leslie's  cherry-trees,  and  the  little  girl 
laughed  aloud  in  her  make-believe  meeting-house, 
and  then  the  gate  was  opened  and  shut,  and  the 
doctor  himself  appeared,  strolling  along,  and  smil 
ing  as  he  came. 

He  was  looking  to  the  right  and  left   at  his 


52  A   COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

flowers  and  trees,  and  once  he  stopped  and  took 
out  bis  pocket  knife  to  trim  a  straying  branch  of 
honeysuckle,  which  had  wilted  and  died.  When 
he  came  to  the  summer-house,  he  found  his  guest 
sitting  there  demurely  with  her  hands  folded  in 
her  lap.  She  had  gathered  some  little  sprigs  of 
box  and  a  few  blossoms  of  periwinkle  and  late 
lilies  of  the  valley,  and  they  lay  on  the  bench 
beside  her.  "  So  you  did  not  go  to  church  with 
Marilla  ?  "  the  doctor  said.  "  I  dare  say  one  ser 
mon  a  day  is  enough  for  so  small  a  person  as 
you."  For  Nan's  part,  no  sermon  at  all  would 
have  caused  little  sorrow,  though  she  liked  the 
excitement  of  the  Sunday  drive  to  the  village. 
She  only  smiled  when  the  doctor  spoke,  and  gave 
a  little  sigh  of  satisfaction  a  minute  afterward 
when  he  seated  himself  beside  heri 

"  We  must  be  off  presently,"  he  told  her.  "  I 
have  a  long  drive  to  take  before  night.  I  would 
let  you  go  with  me,  but  I  am  afraid  I  should  keep 
you  too  long  past  your  bedtime." 

The  little  girl  looked  in  his  kind  face  appeal- 
ingly  ;  she  could  not  bear  to  have  the  day  come 
to  an  end.  The  doctor  spoke  to  her  as  if  she 
were  grown  up  and  understood  everything,  and 
tin's  pleased  her.  It  is  very  hard  to  be  constantly 
reminded  that  one  is  a  child,  as  if  it  were  a  crime 
against  society.  Dr.  Leslie,  unlike  many  others, 
did  not  like  children  because  they  were  children  ; 
he  now  and  then  made  friends  with  one,  just  as 
he  added  now  and  then  to  his  narrow  circle  of 


A  SUNDAY  VISIT.  53 

grown  friends.  He  felt  a  certain  responsibility 
for  this  little  girl,  and  congratulated  himself  upon 
feeling  an  instinctive  fondness  for  her.  The  good 
old  minister  had  said  only  that  morning  that  love 
is  the  great  motive  power,  that  it  is  always  easy 
to  do  things  for  those  whom  we  love  and  wish  to 
please,  and  for  this  reason  we  are  taught  to  pray 
for  love  to  God,  and  so  conquer  the  difficulty  of 
holiness.  "  But  I  must  do  my  duty  by  her  at  any 
rate,"  the  doctor  told  himself.  "  I  am  afraid  I 
have  forgotten  the  child  somewhat  in  past  years, 
and  she  is  a  bright  little  creature." 

"  Have  you  been  taking  good  care  of  your 
self  ?  "  he  added  aloud.  "  I  was  very  tired,  for  I 
was  out  twice  in  the  night  taking  care  of  sick 
people.  But  you  must  come  to  see  me  again 
some  day.  I  dare  say  you  and  Marilla  have 
made  friends  with  each  other.  Now  we  must 
go,  I  suppose,"  and  Kan  Prince,  still  silent, —  for 
the  pleasure  of  this  time  was  almost  too  great,  — 
took  hold  of  the  doctor's  outstretched  hand,  and 
they  went  slowly  up  the  garden  walk  together. 
As  they  drove  slowly  down  the  street  they  met 
the  people  who  were  coming  from  church,  and 
the  child  sat  up  very  straight  in  the  old  gig,  with 
her  feet  on  the  doctor's  medicine-box,  and  was 
sure  that  everybody  must  be  envying  her.  She 
thought  it  was  more  pleasant  than  ever  that 
afternoon,  as  they  passed  through  the  open  coun 
try  outside  the  village ;  the  fields  and  the  trees 
were  marvelously  green,  and  the  distant  river  was 


54  A    COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

shining  in  the  sun.  Nan  looked  anxiously  for 
the  gray  farm-house  for  two  or  three  minutes  be 
fore  they  came  in  sight  of  it,  but  at  last  it  showed 
itself,  standing  firm  on  the  hillside.  It  seemed  a 
long  time  since  she  had  left  home  in  the  morning, 
but  this  beautiful  day  was  to  be  one  of  the  land 
marks  of  her  memory.  Life  had  suddenly  grown 
much  larger,  and  her  familiar  horizon  had  van 
ished  and  she  discovered  a  great  distance  stretch 
ing  far  beyond  the  old  limits.  She  went  gravely 
into  the  familiar  kitchen,  holding  fast  the  bits  of 
box  and  the  periwinkle  flowers,  quite  ready  to 
answer  her  grandmother's  questions,  though  she 
was  only  too  certain  that  it  would  be  impossible 
to  tell  any  one  the  whole  dear  story  of  that  June 
Sunday. 

A  little  later,  as  Marilla  came  sedately  home, 
she  noticed  in  the  driveway  some  fresh  hoof- 
marks  which  pointed  toward  the  street,  and 
quickly  assured  herself  that  they  could  not  have 
been  made  very  long  before.  "  I  wonder  what 
the  two  of  'em  have  been  doing  all  the  after 
noon  ?"  she  said  to  herself.  "  She  's  a  little  lady, 
that  child  is  ;  and  it 's  a  burnin'  shame  she  should 
be  left  to  run  wild.  I  never  set  so  much  by  her 
mother's  looks  as  some  did,  but  growin'  things  has 
blooms  as  much  as  they  have  roots  and  prickles 
—  and  even  them  Thachers  will  flower  out  once 
in  a  while." 


VI. 

IN    SUMMER  WEATHER. 

ONE  morning  Dr.  Leslie  remembered  an  old 
patient  whom  he  liked  to  go  to  see  now  and  then, 
perhaps  more  from  the  courtesy  and  friendliness 
of  the  thing  than  from  any  hope  of  giving  profes 
sional  assistance.  The  old  sailor,  Captain  Finch, 
had  long  before  been  condemned  as  unseaworthy, 
having  suffered  for  many  years  from  the  effects  of 
a  bad  fall  on  shipboard.  He  was  a  cheerful  and 
wise  person,  and  the  doctor  was  much  attached  to 
him,  besides  knowing  that  he  had  borne  his  im 
prisonment  with  great  patience,  for  his  life  on  one 
of  the  most  secluded  farms  of  the  region,  sur 
rounded  by  his  wife's  kinsfolk,  who  were  all  lands 
men,  could  hardly  be  called  anything  else.  The 
doctor  had  once  made  a  voyage  to  Fayal  and  from 
thence  to  England  in  a  sailing-vessel,  having  been 
somewhat  delicate  in  health  in  his  younger  days, 
and  this  made  him  a  more  intelligent  listener  to 
the  captain's  stories  than  was  often  available. 

Dr.  Leslie  had  brought  his  case  of  medicines 
from  mere  force  of  habit,  but  by  way  of  special 
prescription  he  had  taken  also  a  generous  handful 
of  his  best  cigars,  and  wrapped  them  somewhat 


56  A   COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

clumsily  in  one  of  the  large  sheets  of  letter-paper 
which  lay  on  his  study  table  near  by.  Also  he  had 
stopped  before  the  old  sideboard  in  the  carefully 
darkened  dining-room,  and  taken  a  bottle  of  wine 
from  one  of  its  cupboards.  "  This  will  do  him 
more  good  than  anything,  poor  old  fellow,"  he 
told  himself,  with  a  sudden  warmth  in  his  own 
heart  and  a  feeling  of  grateful  pleasure  because 
he  had  thought  of  doing  the  kindness. 

Marilla  called  eagerly  from  the  kitchen  window 
to  ask  where  he  was  going,  putting  her  hand  out 
hastily  to  part  the  morning-glory  vines,  which 
had  climbed  their  strings  and  twisted  their  stems 
together  until  they  shut  out  the  world  from  their 
planter's  sight.  But  the  doctor  only  answered 
that  he  should  be  back  at  dinner  time,  and  settled 
himself  comfortably  in  his  carriage,  smiling  as 
he  thought  of  Manila's  displeasure.  She  seldom 
allowed  a  secret  to  escape  her,  if  she  were  once 
fairly  on  the  scent  of  it,  though  she  grumbled 
now,  and  told  herself  that  she  only  cared  to  know 
for  the  sake  of  the  people  who  might  come,  or  to 
provide  against  the  accident  of  his  being  among 
the  missing  in  case  of  sudden  need.  She  found 
life  more  interesting  when  there  was  even  a  small 
mystery  to  be  puzzled  ^ver.  It  was  impossible 
for  Dr.  Leslie  to  resist  teasing  his  faithful  hand 
maiden  once  in  a  while,  but  he  did  it  with  proper 
gravity  and  respect,  and  their  friendship  was 
cemented  by  these  sober  jokes  rather  than  torn 
apart. 


/AT  SUMMER    WEATHER.  57 

The  horse  knew  as  well  as  his  master  that 
nothing  of  particular  importance  was  in  hand,  and 
however  well  he  always  caught  the  spirit  of  the 
occasion  when  there  was  need  for  hurry,  he  now 
jogged  along  the  road,  going  slowly  where  the  trees 
cast  a  pleasant  shade,  and  paying  more  attention 
to  the  flies  than  to  anything  else.  The  doctor 
seemed  to  be  in  deep  thought,  and  old  Major  un 
derstood  that  no  notice  was  to  be  taken  of  con 
stant  slight  touches  of  the  whip  which  his  master 
held  carelessly.  It  had  been  hot,  dusty  weather 
until  the  day  and  night  before,  when  heavy  show 
ers  had  fallen  ;  the  country  was  looking  fresh,  and 
the  fields  and  trees  were  washed  clean  at  last 
from  the  white  dust  that  had  powdered  them  and 
given  the  farms  a  barren  and  discouraged  look. 

They  had  come  in  sight  of  Mrs.  Thachers 
house  on  its  high  hillside,  and  were  just  passing 
the  abode  of  Mrs.  Meeker,  which  was  close  by  the 
roadside  in  the  low  land.  This  was  a  small, 
weather-beaten  dwelling,  and  the  pink  and  red 
hollyhocks  showed  themselves  in  fine  array 
against  its  gray  walls.  Its  mistress's  prosaic  na 
ture  had  one  most  redeeming  quality  in  her  love 
for  flowers  and  her  gift  in  making  them  grow, 
and  the  doctor  forgave  her  many  things  for  the 
sake  of  the  bright  little  garden  in  the  midst  of 
the  sandy  lands  which  surrounded  her  garden 
with  their  unshaded  barrenness.  The  road  that 
crossed  these  was  hot  in  summer  and  swept  by 
bitter  winds  in  winter.  It  was  like  a  bit  of  desert 


58  A    COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

dropped  by  mistake  among  the  green  farms  and 
spring-fed  forests  that  covered  the  rest  of  the  river 
uplands. 

No  sentinel  was  ever  more  steadfast  to  his  duty 
in  time  of  war  and  disorder  than  Mrs.  Meeker, 
as  she  sat  by  the  front  window,  from  which  she 
could  see  some  distance  either  way  along  the 
crooked  road.  She  was  often  absent  from  her  own 
house  to  render  assistance  of  one  sort  or  another 
among  her  neighbors,  but  if  she  were  at  home  it 
was  impossible  for  man,  woman,  or  child  to  go  by 
without  her  challenge  or  careful  inspection.  She 
made  couriers  of  her  neighbors,  and  sent  these 
errand  men  and  women  along  the  country  roads  or 
to  the  village  almost  daily.  She  was  well  posted 
in  the  news  from  both  the  village  and  the  coun 
try  side,  and  however  much  her  acquaintances 
scolded  about  her,  they  found  it  impossible  to  re 
sist  the  fascination  of  her  conversation,  and  few 
declined  to  share  in  the  banquet  of  gossip  which 
she  was  always  ready  to  spread.  She  was  quick 
witted,  and  possessed  of  many  resources  and  much 
cleverness  of  a  certain  sort ;  but  it  must  be  con 
fessed  that  she  had  done  mischief  in  her  day, 
having  been  the  murderer  of  more  than  one 
neighbor's  peace  of  mind  and  the  assailant  of 
many  a  reputation.  But  if  she  were  a  dangerous 
inmate  of  one's  household,  few  were  so  attractive 
or  entertaining  for  the  space  of  an  afternoon  visit, 
and  it  was  usually  said,  when  she  was  seen  ap 
proaching,  that  she  would  be  sure  to  have  some' 


IN  SUMMER    WEATHER.  59 

thing  to  tell.  Out  in  the  country,  where  so  many 
people  can  see  nothing  new  from  one  week's  end 
to  the  other,  it  is,  after  all,  a  great  pleasure  to 
have  the  latest  particulars  brought  to  one's  door, 
as  a  townsman's  newspaper  is. 

Mrs.  Meeker  knew  better  than  to  stop  Dr.  Les 
lie  if  he  were  going  anywhere  in  a  hurry  ;  she  had 
been  taught  this  lesson  years  ago  ;  but  when  she 
saw  him  journeying  in  such  a  leisurely  way  some 
instinct  assured  her  of  safety,  and  she  came  out  of 
her  door  like  a  Jack-in-the  box,  while  old  Major, 
only  too  ready  for  a  halt,  stood  still  in  spite  of  a 
desperate  twitch  of  the  reins,  which  had  as  much 
effect  as  pulling  at  a  fish-hook  which  has  made 
fast  to  an  anchor.  Mrs.  Meeker  feigned  a  great 
excitement. 

"  I  won't  keep  you  but  a  moment,"  she  said, 
"  but  I  want  to  hear  what  you  think  about  Mis' 
Thacher's  chances." 

"  Mrs.  Thacher's  ?  "  repeated  the  doctor,  won- 
deringly.  "  She  's  doing  well,  is  n't  she  ?  I  don't 
suppose  that  she  will  ever  be  a  young  woman 
again." 

"  I  don't  know  why,  but  I  took  it  for  granted 
that  you  was  goin'  there,"  explained  Mrs.  Meeker, 
humbly.  "  She  has  seemed  to  me  as  if  she  was 
failing  all  summer.  I  was  up  there  last  night,  and 
I  never  said  so  to  her,  but  she  had  aged  dread 
fully.  I  wonder  if  it 's  likely  she  's  had  a  light 
shock  ?  Sometimes  the  fust  one  's  kind  o'  hidden  ; 
comes  by  night  or  somethin',  and  folks  don't  know 
till  they  begins  to  feel  the  damage  of  it." 


60  A   COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

"  She  has  n't  looked  very  well  of  late,"  said  the 
doctor.  For  once  in  his  life  he  was  willing  to  have 
a  friendly  talk,  Mrs.  Meeker  thought,  and  she  pro 
ceeded  to  make  the  most  of  her  opportunity. 

"  I  think  the  care  of  that  girl  of  Ad' line's  has 
been  too  much  for  her  all  along,"  she  announced, 
"  she's  wild  as  a  hawk,  and  a  perfect  torment. 
One  day  she  '11  come  strollin'  in  and  beseechin'  me 
for  a  bunch  o'  flowers,  and  the  next  she  '11  be  here 
after  dark  scarin'  me  out  o'  my  seven  senses.  She 
rigged  a  tick-tack  here  the  other  night  against  the 
window,  and  my  heart  was  in  my  mouth.  I 
thought  't  was  a  warnin'  much  as  ever  I  thought 
anything  in  my  life  ;  the  night  before  my  mother 
died  't  was  in  that  same  room  and  against  that 
same  winder  there  came  two  or  three  raps,  and  my 
sister  Drew  and  me  we  looked  at  each  other,  and 
turned  cold  all  over,  and  mother  set  right  up  in 
bed  the  next  night  and  looked  at  that  winder  and 
then  laid  back  dead.  I  was  all  sole  alone  the 
other  evenin', —  Wednesday  it  was,  —  and  when  I 
heard  them  raps  I  mustered  up,  and  went  and  put 
my  head  out  o'  the  door,  and  I  could  n't  see  noth 
ing,  and  when  I  went  back,  knock  —  knock,  it 
begun  again,  and  I  went  to  the  door  and  harked. 
I  hoped  I  should  hear  somebody  or  'nother  comin' 
along  the  road,  and  then  I  heard  somethin'  a  rus'- 
lin'  amongst  the  sunflowers  and  hollyhocks,  and 
then  there  was  a  titterin',  and  come  to  find 
out  't  was  that  young  one.  I  chased  her  up  the 
road  till  my  wind  give  out,  and  I  had  to  go  and 


IN  SUMMER    WEATHER.  61 

set  on  the  stone  wall,  and  come  to.  She  won't  go 
to  bed  till  she 's  a  mind  to.  One  night  I  was  up 
there  this  spring,  and  she  never  come  in  until 
after  nine  o'clock,  a  dark  night,  too ;  and  the  pore 
old  lady  was  in  distress,  and  thought  she  'd  got 
into  the  river.  I  says  to  myself  there  wa'n't  no 
such  good  news.  She  told  how  she  'd  be'n  up  into 
Jake  an'  Martin's  oaks,  trying  to  catch  a  little 
screech  owl.  She  belongs  with  wild  creatur's,  I 
do  believe,  —  just  the  same  natur'.  She  'd  better 
be  kept  to  school,  'stead  o'  growin'  up  this  way ; 
but  she  keeps  the  rest  o'  the  young  ones  all  in  a 
brile,  and  this  last  teacher  would  n't  have  her 
there  at  all.  She  'd  toll  off  half  the  school  into 
the  pasture  at  recess  time,  and  none  of  'eni  would 
get  back  for  half  an  hour." 

"What's  a  tick-tack?  I  don't  remember," 
asked  the  doctor,  who  had  been  smiling  now  and 
then  at  this  complaint. 

"  They  tie  a  nail  to  the  end  of  a  string,  and  run 
it  over  a  bent  pin  stuck  in  the  sash,  and  then  they 
get  out  o'  sight  and  pull,  and  it  clacks  against  the 
winder,  don't  ye  see  ?  Ain't  it  surprisin'  how 
them  devil's  tricks  gets  handed  down  from  giner- 
ation  to  gineration,  while  so  much  that 's  good  is 
forgot,"  lamented  Mrs.  Meeker,  but  the  doctor 
looked  much  amused. 

"  She 's  a  bright  child,"  he  said,  "  and  not  over 
strong.  I  don't  believe  in  keeping  young  folks 
shut  up  in  the  school-houses  all  summer  long." 

Mrs.    Meeker  sniffed  disapprovingly.     "  She  's 


62  A    COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

tougher  than  ellum  roots.  I  believe  you  can't 
kill  them  peaked-looking  young  ones.  She  11  run 
like  a  fox  all  day  long  and  live  to  see  us  all  bur 
ied.  I  can  put  up  with  her  pranks ;  't  is  of  pore 
old  Mis'  Thacher  I  'm  thinkin'.  She 's  had 
trouble  enough  without  adding  on  this  young 
'scape-gallows.  You  had  better  fetch  her  up  to 
be  a  doctor,"  Mrs.  Meeker  smilingly  continued, 
"  I  was  up  there  yisterday,  and  one  of  the  young 
turkeys  had  come  hoppin'  and  quawkin'  round 
the  doorsteps  with  its  leg  broke,  and  she  'd  caught 
it  and  fixed  it  off  with  a  splint  before  you  could 
say  Jack  Robi'son.  She  told  how  it  was  the  way 
you  'd  done  to  Jim  Finch  that  fell  from  the  hay- 
rigging  and  broke  his  arm  over  to  Jake  an'  Mar 
tin's,  haying  time." 

"  I  remember  she  was  standing  close  by,  watch 
ing  everything  I  did,"  said  the  doctor,  his  face 
shining  with  interest  and  pleasure.  "  I  shall  have 
to  carry  her  about  for  clerk.  Her  father  studied 
medicine  you  know.  It  is  the  most  amazing  thing 
how  people  inherit  "  —  but  he  did  not  finish  his 
sentence  and  pulled  the  reins  so  quickly  that  the 
wise  horse  knew  there  was  no  excuse  for  not  mov 
ing  forward. 

Mrs.  Meeker  had  hoped  for  a  longer  interview. 
"  Stop  as  you  come  back,  won't  you  ?  "  she  asked. 
"  I  'm  goin'  to  pick  you  some  of  the  handsomest 
poppies  I  ever  raised.  I  got  the  seed  from  my 
sister-in-law's  cousin,  she  that  was  'Miry  Gregg, 
and  they  do  beat  everything.  They  wilt  so  that 


IN  SUMMER    WEATHER.  63 

it  ain't  no  use  to  pick  'em  now,  unless  you  was 
calc'latin'  to  come  home  by  the  other  road. 
There  's  nobody  sick  about  here,  is  there  ?  "  to 
which  the  doctor  returned  a  shake  of  the  head  and 
the  information  that  he  should  be  returning  that 
way  about  noon.  As  he  drove  up  the  hill  he 
assured  himself  with  great  satisfaction  that  he 
believed  he  had  n't  told  anything  that  morning 
which  would  be  repeated  all  over  town  before 
night,  while  his  hostess  returned  to  her  house 
quite  dissatisfied  with  the  interview,  though  she 
hoped  for  better  fortune  on  Dr.  Leslie's  return. 

For  his  part,  he  drove  on  slowly  past  the 
Thacher  farm-house,  looking  carefully. about  him, 
and  sending  a  special  glance  up  the  lane  in  search 
of  the  invalid  turkey.  "  I  should  like  to  see  how 
she  managed  it,"  he  told  himself  half  aloud.  "  If 
she  shows  a  gift  for  such  things  I  '11  take  pains  to 
teach  her  a  lesson  or  two  by  and  by  when  she  is 
older.  .  .  .  Come  Major,  don't  go  to  sleep  on  the 
road  !  "  and  in  a  few  minutes  the  wagon  was  out 
of  sight,  if  the  reader  had  stood  in  the  Thacher 
lane,  instead  of  following  the  good  man  farther  on 
his  errand  of  mercy  and  good  fellowship. 

At  that  time  in  the  morning  most  housekeep 
ers  were  busy  in  their  kitchens,  but  Mrs.  Thacher 
came  to  stand  in  her  doorway,  and  shaded  her 
forehead  and  eyes  with  her  hand  from  the  bright 
sunlight,  as  she  looked  intently  across  the  pastures 
toward  the  river.  She  seemed  anxious  and  glanced 


64  A    COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

to  and  fro  across  the  fields,  and  presently  she 
turned  quickly  at  the  sound  of  a  footstep,  and  saw 
her  young  grand-daughter  coming  from  the  other 
direction  round  the  corner  of  the  house.  The  child 
was  wet  and  a  little  pale,  though  she  evidently 
had  been  running. 

"What  have  you  been  doin'  now?"  asked  the 
old  lady  fretfully.  "  I  won't  have  you  gettin'  up 
in  the  mornin'  before  I  am  awake  and  stealin' 
out  of  the  house.  I  think  you  are  drowned  in  the 
river  or  have  broken  your  neck  fallin'  out  of  a 
tree.  Here  it  is  after  ten  o'clock.  I  've  a  mind 
to  send  you  to  bed,  Nanny ;  who  got  you  out  of 
the  water,  for  in  it  you  ' ve  been  sure  enough  ?' ' 

"  I  got  out  myself,"  said  the  little  girl.  "  It  was 
deep,  though,"  and  she  began  to  cry,  and  when 
she  tried  to  cover  her  eyes  with  her  already  well- 
soaked  little  apron,  she  felt  quite  broken-hearted 
and  unnerved,  and  sat  down  dismally  on  the  door 
step. 

"  Come  in,  and  put  on  a  dry  dress,"  said  her 
grandmother,  not  unkindly  ;  "  that  is,  if  there  's 
anything  but  your  Sunday  one  fit  to  be  seen. 
I  've  told  you  often  enough  not  to  go  play  in'  in 
the  river,  and  I  've  wanted  you  more  than  common 
to  go  out  to  Jake  and  Martin's  to  borrow  me  a 
little  cinnamon.  You  're  a  real  trial  this  summer. 
I  believe  the  bigger  you  are  the  worse  you  are. 
Now  just  say  what  you  've  been  about.  I  declare 
I  shall  have  to  go  and  have  a  talk  with  the  doctor, 
and  he  '11  scold  you  well.  I  'm  gettin'  old  and  I 


IN  SUMMER   WEATHER.  65 

can't  keep  after  you ;  you  ought  to  consider  me 
some.  You  '11  think  of  it  when  you  see  me  laying 
dead,  what  a  misery  you  've  be'n.  No  schoolin' 
worth  namin' ; "  grumbled  Mrs.  Thacher,  as  she 
stepped  heavily  to  and  fro  in  the  kitchen,  and 
the  little  girl  disappeared  within  the  bed-room. 
In  a  few  minutes,  however,  her  unusual  depres 
sion  was  driven  away  by  the  comfort  of  dry  gar 
ments,  and  she  announced  triumphantly  that  she 
had  found  a  whole  flock  of  young  wild  ducks,  and 
that  she  had  made  a  raft  and  chased  them  about 
up  and  down  the  river,  until  the  raft  had  proved 
unseaworthy,  and  she  had  fallen  through  into 
the  water.  Later  in  the  day  somebody  came  from 
the  Jake  and  Martin  homesteads  to  say  that  there 
must  be  no  more  pulling  down  of  the  ends  of  the 
pasture  fences.  The  nails  had  easily  let  go  their 
hold  of  the  old  boards,  and  a  stone  had  served  our 
heroine  for  a  useful  shipwright's  hammer,  but  the 
young  cattle  had  strayed  through  these  broken 
barriers  and  might  have  done  great  damage  if 
they  had  been  discovered  a  little  later,  —  having 
quickly  hied  themselves  to  a  piece  of  carefully 
cultivated  land.  The  Jake  and  Martin  families 
regarded  Nan  with  a  mixture  of  dread  and  affec 
tion.  She  was  bringing  a  new  element  into  their 
prosaic  lives,  and  her  pranks  afforded  them  a  bit 
of  news  almost  daily.  Her  imagination  was  apt 
to  busy  itself  in  inventing  tales  of  her  unknown 
aunt,  with  which  she  entertained  a  grandchild  of 
Martin  Dyer,  a  little  girl  of  nearly  her  own  age. 


66  A    COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

It  seemed  possible  to  Nan  that  any  day  a  car 
riage  drawn  by  a  pair  of  prancing  black  horses 
might  be  seen  turning  up  the  lane,  and  that  a 
lovely  lady  might  alight  and  claim  her  as  her 
only  niece.  Why  this  event  had  not  already  taken 
place  the  child  never  troubled  herself  to  think,  but 
ever  since  Marilla  had  spoken  of  this  aunt's  ex 
istence,  the  dreams  of  her  had  been  growing  longer 
and  more  charming,  until  she  seemed  fit  for  a 
queen,  and  her  unseen  house  a  palace.  Nan's 
playmate  took  pleasure  in  repeating  .these  glowing 
accounts  to  her  family,  and  many  were  the  head- 
shakings  and  evil  forebodings  over  the  untruth- 
fulness  of  the  heroine  of  this  story.  Little  Susan 
Dyer's  only  aunt,  who  was  well  known  to  her, 
lived  as  other  people  did  in  a  comparatively  plain 
and  humble  house,  and  it  was  not  to  be  wondered 
at  that  she  objected  to  hearing  continually  of  an 
aunt  of  such  splendid  fashion.  And  yet  Nan 
tried  over  and  over  again  to  be  in  some  degree 
worthy  of  the  relationship.  She  must  not  be  too 
unfit  to  enter  upon  more  brilliant  surroundings 
whenever  the  time  should  come,  —  she  took  care 
that  her  pet  chickens  and  her  one  doll  should 
have  high-sounding  names,  such  as  would  seem 
proper  to  the  aunt,  and,  more  than  this,  she  took  a 
careful  survey  of  the  house  whenever  she  was  com 
ing  home  from  school  or  from  play,  lest  she  might 
come  upon  her  distinguished  relative  unawares. 
She  had  asked  her  grandmother  more  than  once 
to  tell  her  about  this  mysterious  kinswoman,  but 


IN  SUMMER    WEATHER.  67 

Mrs.  Timelier  proved  strangely  uncommunicative, 
fearing  if  she  answered  one  easy  question  it  might 
involve  others  that  were  more  difficult. 

The  good  woman  grew  more  and  more  anxious 
to  fulfil  her  duty  to  this  troublesome  young  house 
mate;  the  child  was  strangely  dear  and  compan 
ionable  in  spite  of  her  frequent  naughtiness.  It 
seemed,  too,  as  if  she  could  do  whatever  she  under 
took,  and  as  if  she  had  a  power  which  made  her 
able  to  use  and  unite  the  best  traits  of  her  ances 
tors,  the  strong  capabilities  which  had  been  un 
balanced  or  allowed  to  run  to  waste  in  others.  It 
might  be  said  that  the  materials  for  a  fine  speci 
men  of  humanity  accumulate  through  several  gen 
erations,  until  a  child  appears  who  is  the  heir  of 
all  the  family  wit  and  attractiveness  and  common 
sense,  just  as  one  person  may  inherit  the  worldly 
wealth  of  his  ancestry. 


VII. 

FOE  THE  YEARS   TO  COME. 

LATE  one  summer  afternoon  Dr.  Leslie  was 
waked  from  an  unusually  long  after-dinner  nap 
by  Manila's  footsteps  along  the  hall.  She  re 
mained  standing  in  the  doorway,  looking  at  him 
for  a  provoking  length  of  time,  and  finally  sneezed 
in  her  most  obtrusive  and  violent  manner.  At 
this  he  sat  up  quickly  and  demanded  to  be  told 
what  was  the  matter,  adding  that  he  had  been  out 
half  the  night  before,  which  was  no  news  to  the 
faithful  housekeeper. 

"  There,  I  'm  sure  I  did  n't  mean  to  wake  you 
up,"  she  said,  with  an  apparent  lack  of  self-re 
proach.  "  I  never  can  tell  whether  you  are  asleep 
or  only  kind  of  drowsin'.  There  was  a  boy  here 
just  now  from  old  Mis'  Cunningham's  over  on  the 
b'ilin'  spring  road.  They  want  you  to  come  over 
quick  as  convenient.  She  don't  know  nothin', 
the  boy  said." 

"  Never  did,"  grumbled  the  doctor.  "  I  '11  go, 
toward  night,  but  I  can't  do  her  any  good." 

"  An'  Mis'  Thacher  is  out  here  waitin'  too,  but 
she  says  if  you  're  busy  she  '11  go  along  to  the 
stores  and  stop  as  she  comes  back.  She  looks  to 


FOR   THE   YEARS  TO   COME.  69 

me  as  if  she  was  breakin'  up,"  confided  Marilla  in 
a  lower  tone. 

"  Tell  her  I  'm  ready  now,"  answered  the  doc 
tor  in  a  more  cordial  tone,  and  though  he  said 
half  to  himself  and  half  to  Marilla  that  here  was 
another  person  who  expected  him  to  cure  old  age, 
he  spoke  compassionately,  and  as  if  his  heart  were 
heavy  with  the  thought  of  human  sorrow  and  suffer 
ing.  But  he  greeted  Mrs.  Thacher  most  cheerfully, 
and  joked  about  Manila's  fear  of  a  fly,  as  he  threw 
open  the  blinds  of  the  study  window  which  was 
best  shaded  from  the  sun. 

Mrs.  Thacher  did  indeed  look  changed,  and  the 
physician's  quick  eyes  took  note  of  it,  and,  as  he 
gathered  up  some  letters  and  newspapers  which  had 
been  strewn  about  just  after  dinner,  he  said  kindly 
that  he  hoped  she  had  no  need  of  a  doctor.  It 
was  plain  that  the  occasion  seemed  an  uncommon 
one  to  her.  She  wore  her  best  clothes,  which 
would  not  have  been  necessary  for  one  of  her 
usual  business  trips  to  the  village,  and  it  seemed 
to  be  difficult  for  her  to  begin  her  story.  Dr. 
Leslie,  taking  a  purely  professional  view  of  the 
case,  began  to  consider  what  form  of  tonic  would 
be  most  suitable,  whether  she  had  come  to  ask 
for  one  or  not. 

"  I  want  to  have  a  good  talk  with  you  about 
the  little  gell ;  Nanny,  you  know; "  she  said  at  last, 
and  the  doctor  nodded,  and,  explaining  that  there 
seemed  to  be  a  good  deal  of  draught  through  the 
room,  crossed  the  floor  and  gently  shut  the  door 


TO  A    COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

which  opened  into  the  hall.  He  smiled  a  little  as 
he  did  it,  having  heard  the  long  breath  outside 
which  was  the  not  unfamiliar  signal  of  Manila's 
presence.  If  she  were,  curious,  she  was  a  discreet 
keeper  of  secrets,  and  the  doctor  had  more  than 
once  indulged  her  in  her  sinful  listening  by  way 
of  friendliness  and  reward.  But  this  subject 
promised  to  concern  his  own  affairs  too  closely, 
and  he  became  wary  of  the  presence  of  another 
pair  of  ears.  He  was  naturally  a  man  of  uncom 
mon  reserve,  and  most  loyal  in  keeping  his  pa 
tients'  secrets.  If  clergymen  knew  their  congrega 
tions  as  well  as  physicians  do,  the  sermons  would 
be  often  more  closely  related  to  the  parish  needs. 
Ifc  was  difficult  for  the  world  to  understand  why, 
when  Dr.  Leslie  was  anything  but  prone  to  gos 
sip,  Marilla  should  have  been  possessed  of  such  a 
wealth  of  knowledge  of  her  neighbors'  affairs. 
Strange  to  say  this  wealth  was  for  her  own  miserly 
pleasure  and  not  to  be  distributed,  and  while  she 
often  proclaimed  with  exasperating  triumph  that 
she  had  known  for  months  some  truth  just  dis 
covered  by  others,  she  was  regarded  by  her  ac 
quaintances  as  if  she  were  a  dictionary  written 
in  some  foreign  language  ;  immensely  valuable, 
but  of  no  practical  use  to  themselves.  It  was 
sometimes  difficult  not  to  make  an  attempt  to 
borrow  from  her  store  of  news,  but  nothing  de 
lighted  her  more  than  to  be  so  approached,  and 
to  present  impenetrable  barriers  of  discretion  to 
the  enemy. 


tOR   THE   YEARS   TO   COME.  71 

"  How  is  Nanny  getting  on  ?  "  the  doctor  asked. 
"  She  looks  stronger  than  she  did  a  year  ago." 

"  Dear  me,  she  's  wild  as  ever,"  answered  Mrs. 
Thacher,  trying  to  smile ;  "  but  I  've  been  dis 
tressed  about  her  lately,  night  and  day.  I  thought 
perhaps  I  might  see  you  going  by.  She's  get- 
tin'  to  be  a  great  girl,  doctor,  and  I  ain't  fit  to 
cope  with  her.  I  find  my  strength  's  a-goin',  and 
I  'in  old  before  my  time  ;  all  my  folks  was  rugged 
and  sound  long  past  my  age,  but  I  've  had  my 
troubles, —  you  don't  need  I  should  tell  you  that ! 
Poor  Ad'line  always  give  me  a  feelin'  as  if  I  was  a 
lien  that  has  hatched  ducks.  I  never  knew  exactly 
how  to  do  for  her,  she  seemed  to  see  everything  so 
different,  and  Lord  only  knows  how  I  worry  about 
her,  and  al'ays  did,  thinkin'  if  I  'd  seen  clearer 
how  to  do  my  duty  her  life  might  have  come  out 
sort  of  better.  And  it 's  the  same  with  little  Anna ; 
not  that  she  's  so  prone  to  evil  as  some ;  she 's 
a  lovin'-hearted  child  if  ever  one  was  born,  but 
she  's  a  piece  o'  mischief  ;  and  it  may  come  from 
her  father's  folks  and  their  ways  o'  livin',  but  she 's 
made  o'  different  stuff,  and  I  ain't  fit  to  make  an 
swer  for  her,  or  for  fetchin'  of  her  up.  I  come  to 
ask  if  you  won't  kindly  advise  what 's  best  for  her. 
I  do'  know  's  anything  's  got  to  be  done  for  a  good 
spell  yet.  I  mind  what,  you  say  about  lettin'  her 
run  and  git  strong,  and  I  don't  check  her.  Only 
it  seemed  to  me  that  you  might  want  to  speak  about 
her  sometimes  and  not  do  it  for  fear  o'  wrong 
ing  my  judgment.  I  declare  I  have  n't  no  judg- 


72  A   COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

ment  about  what 's  reasonable  for  her,  and  you  're 
her  guardeen,  and  there  's  the  money  her  father's 
sister  has  sent  her ;  't  would  burn  my  fingers  to 
touch  a  cent  of  it,  but  by  and  by  if  you  think  she 
ought  to  have  schoolin'  or  anything  else  you  must 
just  say  so." 

44 1  think  nothing  better  could  have  been  done 
for  the  child  than  you  have  done,"  said  Dr.  Leslie 
warmly.  "  Don't  worry  yourself,  my  good  friend. 
As  for  books,  she  will  take  to  them  of  her  own 
accord  quite  soon  enough,  and  in  such  weather  as 
this  I  think  one  day  in  the  fields  is  worth  five  in 
the  school-house.  I  '11  do  the  best  I  can  for  her." 

Mrs.  Thacher's  errand  had  not  yet  been  told, 
though  she  fumbled  in  her  pocket  and  walked 
to  the  open  window  to  look  for  the  neighbor's 
wagon  by  which  she  was  to  find  conveyance  home, 
before  she  ventured  to  say  anything  more.  "  I 
don't  know  's  my  time  '11  come  for  some  years  yet," 
she  said  at  length,  falteringly,  "  but  I  have  had  it 
borne  in  upon  my  mind  a  good  many  ways  this 
summer  that  I  ain't  going  to  stay  here  a  gre't 
while.  I  've  been  troubled  considerable  by  the 
same  complaints  that  carried  my  mother  off,  and 
I  'm  built  just  like  her.  I  don't  feel  no  concern 
for  myself,  but  it 's  goin'  to  leave  the  child  with 
out  anybody  of  her  own  to  look  to.  There 's 
plenty  will  befriend  her  just  so  long  as  she  's  got 
means,  and  the  old  farm  will  sell  for  something  be 
sides  what  she  's  got  already,  but  that  ain't  every 
thing,  and  I  can't  seem  to  make  up  my  mind  to 


FOR   THE   YEARS   TO 'COME.  73 

havin'  of  her  boarded  about.  If  't  was  so  your 
wife  had  lived  I  should  know  what  I  'd  go  down 
on  my  knees  to  her  to  do,  but  I  can't  ask  it  of  you 
to  be  burdened  with  a  young  child  a-growin'  up." 

The  doctor  listened  patiently,  though  just  be 
fore  this  he  had  risen  and  begun  to  fill  a  small 
bottle  at  the  closet  shelves,  which  were  stocked 
close  to  their  perilous  edges  with  various  drugs. 
Without  turning  to  look  at  his  patient  he  said, 
"  I  wish  you  would  take  five  or  six  drops  of  this 
three  times  a  day,  and  let  me  see  you  again  within 
a  week  or  two."  And  while  the  troubled  woman 
turned  to  look  at  him  with  half-surprise,  he  added, 
"  Don't  give  yourself  another  thought  about  little 
Nan.  If  anything  should  happen  to  you,  I  shall 
be  glad  to  bring  her  here,  and  to  take  care  of  her 
as  if  she  were  my  own.  I  always  have  liked  her, 
and  it  will  be  as  good  for  me  as  for  her.  I  would 
not  promise  it  for  any  other  child,  but  if  you  had 
not  spoken  to-day,  I  should  have  found  a  way  to 
arrange  with  you  the  first  chance  that  came.  But 
I  'm  getting  to  be  an  old  fellow  myself,"  he 
laughed.  "  I  suppose  if  I  get  through  first  you 
will  be  friendly  to  Marilla?  "  and  Mrs.  Thacher 
let  a  faint  sunbeam  of  a  smile  shine  out  from  the 
depths  of  the  handkerchief  with  which  she  was  try 
ing  to  stop  a  great  shower  of  tears.  Marilla  was 
not  without  her  little  vanities,  and  being  thought 
youthful  was  one  of  the  chief  desires  of  her  heart. 

So  Mrs.  Thacher  went  away  lighter  hearted  than 


74  A    COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

she  came.  She  asked  the  price  of  the  vial  of  med 
icine,  and  was  answered  that  they  would  talk 
about  that  another  time  ;  then  there  was  a  little 
sober  joking  about  certain  patients  who  never 
paid  their  doctor's  bills  at  all  because  of  a  super 
stition  that  they  would  immediately  require  his 
aid  again.  Dr.  Leslie  stood  in  his  study  door 
way  and  watched  her  drive  down  the  street  with 
Martin  Dyer.  It  seemed  to  him  only  a  year  or 
two  since  both  the  man  and  woman  had  been 
strong  and  vigorous ;  now  they  both  looked 
shrunken,  and  there  was  a  worn  ness  and  feeble 
ness  about  the  bodies  which  had  done  such  good 
service.  "  Come  and  go,"  said  the  doctor  to  him 
self,  "  one  generation  after  another.  Getting 
old !  all  the  good  old-fashioned  people  on  the 
farms ;  I  never  shall  care  so  much  to  be  at  the 
beck  and  call  of  their  grandchildren,  but  I 
must  mend  up  these  old  folks  and  do  the  best 
I  can  for  them  as  long  as  they  stay ;  they  're 
good  friends  to  me.  Dear  me,  how  it  used  to 
fret  me  when  I  was  younger  to  hear  them  always 
talking  about  old  Doctor  Way  land  and  what  he 
used  to  do;  and  here  I  am  the  old  doctor  my 
self  !  "  And  then  he  went  down  the  gravel  walk 
toward  the  stable  with  a  quick,  firm  step,  which 
many  a  younger  man  might  have  envied,  to  ask 
for  a  horse.  "  You  may  saddle  him,"  he  di 
rected.  "  I  am  only  going  to  old  Mrs.  Cunning' 
barn's,  and  it  is  a  cool  afternoon." 


FOR   THE   YEARS  TO  COME.  75 

Dr.  Leslie  had  ridden  less  and  less  every  year  of 
liis  practice;  bu-t,  for  some  reason  best  known  to 
himself,  he  went  down  the  village  street  at  a  mad 
pace.  Indeed,  almost  everybody  who  saw  him  felt 
that  it  was  important  to  go  to  the  next  house  to 
ask  if  it  were  known  for  what  accident  or  desper 
ate  emergency  he  had  been  called  away. 


VIII. 

A  GREAT   CHANGE. 

UNTIL  the  autumn  of  this  year,  life  had  seemed 
to  flow  in  one  steady,  unchanging  current.  The 
thought  had  not  entered  little  Nan  Prince's  head 
that  changes  might  be  in  store  for  her,  for,  ever 
since  she  could  remember,  the  events  of  life  had 
followed  each  other  quietly,  and  except  for  the 
differences  in  every-day  work  and  play,  caused  by 
the  succession  of  the  seasons,  she  was  not  called 
upon  to  accommodate  herself  to  new  conditions. 
It  was  a  gentle  change  at  first :  as  the  days  grew 
shorter  and  the  house  and  cellar  were  being  made 
ready  for  winter,  her  grandmother  seemed  to  have 
much  more  to  do  than  usual,  and  Nan  must  stay 
at  home  to  help.  She  was  growing  older  at  any 
rate  ;  she  knew  how  to  help  better  than  she  used  ; 
she  was  anxious  to  show  her  grandmother  how 
well  she  could  work,  and  as  the  river  side  and 
the  windy  pastures  grew  less  hospitable,  she  did 
not  notice  that  she  was  no  longer  encouraged  to  go 
out  to  play  for  hours  together  to  amuse  herself  as 
best  she  might,  and  at  any  rate  keep  out  of  the 
way.  It  seemed  natural  enough  now  that  she 
should  stay  in  the  house,  and  be  entrusted  with 


A    GREAT  CHANGE.  77 

some  regular  part  of  the  business  of  keeping  it. 
For  some  time  Mrs.  Thacher  had  kept  but  one 
cow,  and  early  in  November,  after  a  good  offer  for 
old  Brindle  had  been  accepted,  it  was  announced 
to  Nan's  surprise  that  the  young  cow  which  was 
to  be  Brindle's  successor  need  not  be  bought  until 
spring ;  she  would  be  a  great  care  in  winter  time, 
and  Nan  was  to  bring  a  quart  of  milk  a  day  from 
Jake  and  Martin's.  This  did  not  seem  an  un 
pleasant  duty  while  the  mild  weather  lasted  ;  if 
there  came  a  rainy  day,  one  of  the  kind  neighbors 
would  leave  the  little  pail  on  his  way  to  the  vil 
lage  before  the  young  messenger  had  started  out. 
Nan  could  not  exactly  understand  at  last  why 
Mrs.  Jake  and  Mrs.  Martin  always  asked  about 
her  grandmother  every  morning  with  so  much 
interest  and  curiosity,  or  why  they  came  oftener 
and  oftener  to  help  with  the  heavy  work.  Mrs. 
Thacher  had  never  before  minded  her  occasional 
illnesses  so  much,  and  some  time  passed  before 
Nan's  inexperienced  eyes  and  fearless  young  heart 
understood  that  the  whole  atmosphere  which  over 
hung  the  landscape  of  her  life  had  somehow 
changed,  that  another  winter  approached  full  of 
mystery  and  strangeness  and  discomfort  of  mind, 
and  at  last  a  great  storm  was  almost  ready  to 
break  into  the  shelter  and  comfort  of  her  simple 
life.  Poor  Nan  !  She  could  not  think  what  it  all 
meant.  She  was  asked  many  a  distressing  ques 
tion,  and  openly  pitied,  and  heard  her  future  dis 
cussed,  as  if  her  world  might  come  to  an  end  any 


78  A   COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

day.  The  doctor  had  visited  her  grandmother 
from  time  to  time,  but  always  while  she  was  at 
school,  until  vacation  came,  and  poor  Mrs.  Thacher 
grew  too  feeble  to  enter  into  even  a  part  of  the 
usual  business  of  the  farm-house. 

One  morning,  as  Nan  was  coming  back  from  the 
Dyer  farm  with  the  milk,  she  met  Mrs.  Meeker 
in  the  highway.  This  neighbor  and  our  heroine 
were  rarely  on  good  terms  with  each  other,  since 
Nan  had  usually  laid  herself  under  some  serious 
charge  of  wrong-doing,  and  had  come  to  believe 
that  she  would  be  disapproved  in  any  event,  and 
so  might  enjoy  life  as  she  chose,  and  revel  in 
harmless  malice. 

The  child  could  not  have  told  why  she  shrank 
from  meeting  her  enemy  so  much  more  than  usual, 
and  tried  to  discover  some  refuge,  or  chance  for 
escape  ;  but,  as  it  was  an  open  bit  of  the  road,  and 
a  straight  way  to  the  lane,  she  could  have  no  ex 
cuse  for  scrambling  over  the  stone  wall  and  cutting 
short  the  distance.  However,  her  second  thought 
scorned  the  idea  of  running  away  in  such  cowardly 
fashion,  and  not  having  any  recent  misdemeanor 
on  her  conscience,  she  went  forward  unflinchingly. 

Mrs.  Meeker's  tone  was  not  one  of  complaint, 
but  of  pity,  and  insinuating  friendliness.  u  How  's 
your  grandma  to-day?  "  she  asked,  and  Nan,  with 
an  unsympathetic  answer  of  "  About  the  same," 
stepped  bravely  forward,  resenting  with  all  her 
young  soul  the  discovery  that  Mrs.  Meeker  had 
turned  and  was  walking  alongside. 


A    GREAT  CHANGE.  79 

"  She 's  been  a  good,  kind  grandma  to  you, 
hain't  she  ?  "  said  this  unwelcome  companion,  and 
when  Nan  had  returned  a  wondering  but  almost 
inaudible  assent,  she  continued,  u  She  '11  be  a 
great  loss  to  you,  I  can  tell  you.  You  '11  never 
find  nobody  to  do  for  you  like  her.  There,  you 
won't  realize  nothing  about  it  till  you  've  got 
older  'n  you  be  now  ;  but  the  time  '11  come  when  " 
—  and  her  sharp  voice  faltered  ;  for  Nan  had 
turned  to  look  full  in  her  face,  had  stopped  still 
in  the  frozen  road,  dropped  the  pail  uncon 
sciously  and  given  a  little  cry,  and  in  another 
moment  was  running  as  a  chased  wild  creature 
does  toward  the  refuge  of  its  nest.  The  doctor's 
horse  was  fastened  at  the  head  of  the  lane,  and 
Nan  knew  at  last,  what  any  one  in  the  neighbor 
hood  could  have  told  her  many  days  before,  that 
her  grandmother  was  going  to  die.  Mrs.  Meeker 
stared  after  her  with  a  grieved  sense  of  the  abrupt 
ending  of  the  coveted  interview,  then  she  recov 
ered  her  self-possession,  and,  picking  up  the  for 
saken  pail,  stepped  lightly  over  the  ruts  and  frozen 
puddles,  following  Nan  eagerly  in  the  hope  of 
witnessing  more  of  such  extraordinary  behavior, 
and  with  the  design  of  offering  her  services  as 
watcher  or  nurse  in  these  last  hours.  At  any  rate 
the  pail  and  the  milk,  which  had  not  been  spilt, 
could  not  be  left  in  the  road. 

So  the  first  chapter  of  the  child's  life  was  ended 
in  the  early  winter  weather.  There  was  a  new 


80  A    COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

unsheltered  grave  on  the  slope  above  the  river, 
the  farm-house  door  was  shut  and  locked,  and  the 
light  was  out  in  the  kitchen  window.  It  had  been 
a  landmark  to  those  who  were  used  to  driving 
along  the  road  by  night,  and  there  were  sincere 
mourners  for  the  kindly  woman  who  had  kept  a 
simple  faith  and  uprightness  all  through  her  long 
life  of  trouble  and  disappointment.  Nan  and  the 
cat  had  gone  to  live  in  the  village,  and  both,  being 
young,  had  taken  the  change  with  serenity ;  though 
at  first  a  piteous  sorrow  had  been  waked  in  the 
child's  heart,  a  keen  and  dreadful  fear  of  the  fu 
ture.  The  past  seemed  so  secure  and  pleasant,  as 
she  looked  back,  and  now  she  was  in  the  power 
of  a  fateful  future  which  had  begun  with  some 
thing  like  a  whirlwind  that  had  swept  over  her, 
leaving  nothing  unchanged.  It  seemed  to  her  that 
this  was  to  be  incessant,  and  that  being  grown  up 
was  to  be  at  the  mercy  of  sorrow  and  uncertainty. 
She  was  pale  and  quiet  during  her  last  days  in  the 
old  home,  answering  questions  and  obeying  direc 
tions  mechanically  ;  but  usually  sitting  in  the  least 
visited  part  of  the  kitchen,  watching  the  neighbors 
as  they  examined  her  grandmother's  possessions, 
and  properly  disposed  of  the  contents  of  the  house. 
Sometimes  a  spark  flew  from  her  sad  and  angry 
eyes,  but  she  made  no  trouble,  and  seemed  dull  and 
indifferent.  Late  in  the  evening  Dr.  Leslie  carried 
her  home  with  him  through  the  first  heavy  snow 
storm  of  the  year,  and  between  the  excitement  of 
being  covered  from  the  fast-falling  flakes,  and  so 


A    GREAT  CHANGE.  81 

making  a  journey  in  the  dark,  and  of  keeping  hold 
of  the  basket  which  contained  the  enraged  kitten, 
the  grief  at  leaving  home  was  not  dwelt  upon. 

When  she  had  been  unwound  from  one  of  the 
doctor's  great  cloaks,  and  her  eyes  had  grown 
used  to  the  bright  light  in  the  dining-room,  and 
Marilla  had  said  that  supper  had  been  waiting 
half  an  hour,  and  she  did  not  know  how  she  should 
get  along  with  a  black  cat,  and  then  bustled  about 
talking  much  faster  than  usual,  because  the  sight 
of  the  lonely  child  had  made  her  ready  to  cry, 
Nan  began  to  feel  comforted.  It  seemed  a  great 
while  ago  that  she  had  cried  at  her  grandmother's 
funeral.  If  this  were  the  future  it  was  certainly 
very  welcome  and  already  very  dear,  and  the  time 
of  distress  was  like  a  night  of  bad  dreams  between 
two  pleasant  days. 

It  will  easily  be  understood  that  no  great  change 
was  made  in  Dr.  Leslie's  house.  The  doctor  him 
self  and  Marilla  were  both  well  settled  in  their 
habits,  and  while  they  cordially  made  room  for 
the  little  girl  who  was  to  be  the  third  member  of 
the  household,  her  coming  made  little  difference 
to  either  of  her  elders.  There  was  a  great  deal 
of  illness  that  winter,  and  the  doctor  was  more 
than  commonly  busy ;  Nan  was  sent  to  school, 
and  discovered  the  delight  of  reading  one  stormy 
day  when  her  guardian  had  given  her  leave  to 
stay  at  home,  and  she  had  found  his  own  old 
copy  of  Robinson  Crusoe  looking  most  friendly 


82  A    COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

and  inviting  in  a  corner  of  one  of  the  study  shelves. 
As  for  school,  she  had  never  liked  it,  and  the  vil 
lage  school  gave  her  far  greater  misery  than  the 
weather-beaten  building  at  the  cross-roads  ever 
had  done.  She  had  known  many  of  the  village 
children  by  sight,  from  seeing  them  in  church,  but 
she  did  not  number  many  friends  among  them, 
even  after  the  winter  was  nearly  gone  and  the 
days  began  to  grow  brighter  and  less  cold,  and  the 
out-of-door  games  were  a  source  of  great  merri 
ment  in  the  playground.  Nan's  ideas  of  life  were 
quite  unlike  those  held  by  these  new  acquaintances, 
and  she  could  not  gain  the  least  interest  in  most 
of  the  other  children,  though  she  grew  fond  of  one 
boy  who  was  a  famous  rover  and  fisherman,  and 
after  one  of  the  elder  girls  had  read  a  composition 
which  fired  our  heroine's  imagination,  she  wor 
shiped  this  superior  being  from  a  suitable  dis 
tance,  and  was  her  willing  adorer  and  slave.  The 
composition  was  upon  The  Moon,  and  when  the 
author  proclaimed  the  fact  that  this  was  the 
same  moon  which  had  looked  down  upon  Abra 
ham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob,  little  Nan's  eyes  had 
opened  wide  with  reverence  and  awe,  and  she 
opened  the  doors  of  her  heart  and  soul  to  lofty 
thought  and  high  imagination.  The  big  girl,  who 
sat  in  the  back  seat  and  glibly  recited  amazing 
lessons  in  history,  and  did  sums  which  entirely  cov 
ered  the  one  small  blackboard,  was  not  unmind 
ful  of  Nan's  admiration,  and  stolidly  accepted  and 
munched  the  offerings  of  cracked  nuts,  or  of  the 


A    GREAT  CHANGE.  83 

treasured  English  apples  which  had  been  brought 
from  the  farm  and  kept  like  a  squirrel's  hoard  in 
an  archway  of  the  cellar  by  themselves.  Nan 
cherished  an  idea  of  going  back  to  the  farm  to  live 
by  herself  as  soon  as  she  grew  a  little  older,  and 
she  indulged  in  pleasing  day-dreams  of  a  most 
charming  life  there,  with  frequent  entertainments 
for  her  friends,  at  which  the  author  of  the  informa 
tion  about  the  moon  would  be  the  favored  guest, 
and  Nan  herself,  in  a  most  childish  and  provincial 
fashion,  the  reigning  queen.  What  did  these  new 
town  -  acquaintances  know  of  the  strawberries 
which  grew  in  the  bit  of  meadow,  or  the  great 
high-bush  blackberries  by  one  of  the  pasture 
walls,  and  what  would  their  pleasure  be  when 
they  were  taken  down  the  river  some  moonlight 
night  and  caught  sight  of  a  fire  blazing  on  a  dis 
tant  bank,  and  went  nearer  to  find  a  sumptuous 
feast  which  Nan  herself  had  arranged  ?  She  had 
been  told  that  her  aunt — that  mysterious  and  be 
neficent  aunt  —  had  already  sent  her  money  which 
was  lying  idle  in  the  bank  until  she  should  need 
to  spend  it,  and  her  imaginary  riches  increased 
week  by  week,  while  her  horizon  of  future  happi 
ness  constantly  grew  wider. 

The  other  children  were  not  unwilling  at  first 
to  enter  upon  an  inquisitive  friendship  with  the 
new-comer  ;  but  Marilla  was  so  uncongenial  to  the 
noisy  visitors,  and  so  fastidious  in  the  matter 
of  snowy  and  muddy  shoes,  that  she  was  soon 
avoided.  Nan  herself  was  a  teachable  child  and 


84  A   COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

gave  little  trouble,  and  Marilla  sometimes  congrat 
ulated  herself  because  she  had  reserved  the  violent 
objections  which  had  occurred  to  her  mind  when 
the  doctor  had  announced,  just  before  Mrs.  Thach- 
er's  death,  that  his  ward  would  henceforth  find  a 
home  in  his  house. 

Marilla  usually  sat  in  the  dining-room  in  the 
evening,  though  she  was  apt  to  visit  the  study  oc 
casionally,  knitting  in  hand,  to  give  her  opinions, 
or  to  acquaint  herself  with  various  events  of  which 
she  thought  the  doctor  would  be  likely  to  have 
knowledge.  Sometimes  in  the  colder  winter  nights, 
she  drew  a  convenient  light-stand  close  beside  the 
kitchen  stove  and  refused  to  wander  far  from  such 
comfortable  warmth.  Now  that  she  had  Nan's 
busy  feet  to  cover,  there  was  less  danger  than  ever 
that  she  should  be  left  without  knitting-work,  and 
she  deeply  enjoyed  the  child's  company,  since 
Nan  could  give  innocent  answers  to  many  ques 
tions  which  could  never  be  put  to  elder  members 
of  the  Dyer  and  Thacher  neighborhood.  Mrs. 
Meeker  was  apt  to  be  discussed  with  great  free 
dom,  and  Nan  told  long  stories  about  her  own 
childish  experiences,  which  were  listened  to  and 
encouraged,  and  matched  with  others  even  longer 
and  more  circumstantial  by  Marilla.  The  doctor, 
who  was  always  reading  when  he  could  find  a 
quiet  hour  for  himself,  often  smiled  as  he  heard 
the  steady  sound  of  voices  from  the  wide  kitchen, 
and  he  more  than  once  took  a  few  careful  steps 
into  the  dining-room,  and  stood  there  shaking 


A   GREAT  CHANGE.  85 

with  laughter  at  the  character  of  the  conversa 
tion.  Nan,  though  eager  to  learn,  and  curious 
about  many  things  in  life  and  nature,  at  first 
found  her  school  lessons  difficult,  and  sometimes 
came  appealingly  to  him  for  assistance,  when  cir 
cumstances  had  made  a  temporary  ending  of  her 
total  indifference  to  getting  the  lessons  at  all. 
For  this  and  other  reasons  she  sometimes  sought 
the  study,  and  drew  a  small  chair  beside  the 
doctor's  large  one  before  the  blazing  fire  of  the 
black  birch  logs ;  and  then  Marilla  in  her  turn 
would  venture  upon  the  neutral  ground  between 
study  and  kitchen,  and  smile  with  satisfaction 
at  the  cheerful  companionship  of  the  tired  man 
and  the  idle  little  girl  who  had  already  found 
her  way  to  his  lonely  heart.  Nan  had  come  to 
another  home  ;  there  was  no  question  about  what 
should  be  done  with  her  and  for  her,  but  she  was 
made  free  of  the  silent  old  house,  and  went  on 
growing  taller,  and  growing  dearer,  and  growing 
happier  day  by  day.  Whatever  the  future  might 
bring,  she  would  be  sure  to  look  back  with  love 
and  longing  to  the  first  summer  of  her  village  life, 
when,  seeing  that  she  looked  pale  and  drooping, 
the  doctor,  to  her  intense  gratification,  took  her 
away  from  school.  Presently,  instead  of  having  a 
ride  out  into  the  country  as  an  occasional  favor, 
she  might  be  seen  every  day  by  the  doctor's  side, 
as  if  he  could  not  make  his  morning  rounds  with 
out  her ;  and  in  and  out  of  the  farm-houses  she 
went,  following  him  like  a  little  dog,  or,  as  Ma- 


86  A    COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

rilla  scornfully  expressed  it,  a  briar  at  his  heels  ; 
sitting  soberly  by  when  he  dealt  his  medicines  and 
gave  advice,  listening  to  his  wise  and  merry  talk 
with  some,  and  his  helpful  advice  and  consola 
tion  to  others  of  the  country  people.  Many  of 
these  acquaintances  treated  Nan  with  great  kind 
ness  ;  she  half  belonged  to  them,  and  was  deeply 
interesting  for  the  sake  of  her  other  ties  of  blood 
and  bonds  of  fortune,  while  she  took  their  courtesy 
with  thankfulness,  and  their  lack  of  notice  with 
composure.  If  there  were  a  shiny  apple  offered 
she  was  glad,  but  if  not,  she  did  not  miss  it,  since 
her  chief  delight  was  in  being  the  doctor's  assist 
ant  and  attendant,  and  her  eyes  were  always 
watching  for  chances  when  she  might  be  of  use. 
And  one  day,  coming  out  from  a  bedroom,  the  doc 
tor  discovered,  to  his  amusement,  that  her  quick 
and  careful  fingers  had  folded  the  papers  of  some 
powders  which  he  had  left  unfolded  on  the  table. 
As  they  drove  home  together  in  the  bright  noon 
sunshine,  he  said,  as  if  the  question  were  asked 
ior  the  sake  of  joking  a  little,  "What  are  you 
going  to  do  when  you  grow  up,  Nan?  "  to  which 
she  answered  gravely,  as  if  it  were  the  one  great 
question  of  her  life,  u  I  should  like  best  to  be  a 
doctor."  Strangely  enough  there  flitted  through 
the  doctor's  mind  a  remembrance  of  the  day  when 
he  had  talked  with  Mrs.  Meeker,  and  had  looked 
up  the  lane  to  see  the  unlucky  turkey  whose  leg 
had  been  put  into  splints.  He  had  wished  more 
than  once  that  he  had  taken  pains  to  see  how  the 


A    GREAT  CHANGE.  87 

child  had  managed  it ;  but  old  Mrs.  Thacher  had 
reported  the  case  to  have  been  at  least  partially 
successful. 

Nan  had  stolen  a  look  at  her  companion  after 
the  answer  had  been  given,  but  had  been  pleased 
and  comforted  to  find  that  he  was  not  laughing  at 
her,  and  at  once  began  a  lively  picture  of  becom 
ing  famous  in  her  chosen  profession,  and  the 
valued  partner  of  Dr.  Leslie,  whose  skill  every 
body  praised  so  heartily.  He  should  not  go  out  at 
night,  and  she  would  help  him  so  much  that  he 
would  wonder  how  he  ever  had  been  able  to  man 
age  his  wide-spread  practice  alone.  It  was  a  mat- 
ter  of  no  concern  to  her  that  Marilla  had  laughed 
when  she  had  been  told  of  Nan's  intentions,  and 
had  spoken  disrespectfully  of  women  doctors ;  and 
the  child's  heart  was  full  of  pride  and  hope.  The 
doctor  stopped  his  horse  suddenly  to  show  Nan 
some  flowers  which  grew  at  the  roadside,  some 
brilliant  cardinals,  and  she  climbed  quickly  down 
to  gather  them.  There  was  an  unwritten  law 
that  they  should  keep  watch,  one  to  the  right 
hand,  and  the  other  to  the  left,  and  such  treasures 
of  blossoms  or  wild  fruit  seldom  escaped  Nan's 
vision.  Now  she  felt  as  if  she  had  been  wrong 
to  let  her  thoughts  go  wandering,  and  her  cheeks 
were  almost  as  bright  as  the  scarlet  flowers  them 
selves,  as  she  clambered  back  to  the  wagon  seat. 
But  the  doctor  was  in  deep  thought,  and  had  noth 
ing  more  to  say  for  the  next  mile  or  two.  It  had 
become  like  a  bad-case  day  suddenly  and  without 


88  A    COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

apparent  reason  ;  but  Nan  had  no  suspicion  that 
she  was  the  patient  in  charge  whose  welfare  seemed 
to  the  doctor  to  be  dependent  upon  his  own  decis 
ions. 


IX. 

AT  DR.  LESLIE'S. 

THAT  evening  Dr.  Leslie  made  signs  that  he 
was  not  to  be  interrupted,  and  even  shut  the  study 
doors,  to  which  precaution  he  seldom  resorted.  He 
was  evidently  disturbed  when  an  hour  later  a 
vigorous  knocking  was  heard  at  the  seldom-used 
front  entrance,  and  Marilla  ushered  in  with  any 
thing  but  triumph  an  elderly  gentleman  who  had 
been  his  college  classmate.  Manila's  countenance 
wore  a  forbidding  expression,  and  as  she  withdrew 
she  took  pains  to  shut  the  door  between  the  hall 
and  dining-room  with  considerable  violence.  It 
was  almost  never  closed  under  ordinary  circum 
stances,  but  the  faithful  housekeeper  was  impelled 
to  express  her  wrath  in  some  way,  and  this  was  the 
first  that  offered  itself.  Nan  was  sitting  peace 
fully  in  the  kitchen  playing  with  her  black  cat 
and  telling  herself  stories  no  doubt,  and  was  quite 
unprepared  for  Manila's  change  of  temper.  The 
bell  for  the  Friday  evening  prayer-meeting  was 
tolling  its  last  strokes  and  it  was  Manila's  habit 
to  attend  that  service.  She  was  apt  to  be  kept 
closely  at  home,  it  must  be  acknowledged,  and 
this  was  one  of  her  few  social  indulgences.  Since 


90  A    COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

Nan  had  joined  the  family  and  proved  that  she 
could  be  trusted  with  a  message,  she  had  been 
left  in  charge  of  the  house  during  this  coveted 
hour  on  Friday  evenings. 

Marilla  had  descended  from  her  room  arrayed 
for  church  going,  but  now  her  bonnet  was  pulled 
off  as  if  that  were  the  prime  offender,  and  when 
the  child  looked  wonderingly  around  the  kitchen, 
she  saw  the  bread-box  brought  out  from  the  closet 
and  put  down  very  hard  on  a  table,  while  Marilla 
began  directly  afterward  to  rattle  at  the  stove. 

"  I  'd  like  to  say  to  some  folks  that  we  don't 
keep  hotel,"  grumbled  the  good  woman,  "  I  wish 
to  my  heart  I  'd  stepped  right  out  o'  the  front 
door  and  gone  straight  to  meetin'  and  left  them 
there  beholdin'  of  me.  Course  he  has  n't  had  no 
supper,  nor  dinner  neither  like  's  not,  and  if  men 
are  ever  going  to  drop  down  on  a  family  unex 
pected  it 's  always  Friday  night  when  everything's 
eat  up  that  ever  was  in  the  house.  I  s'pose,  after  I 
bake  double  quantities  to-morrow  mornin',  he  '11 
be  drivin'  off  before  noon-time,  and  treasure  it  up 
that  we  never  have  nothin'  decent  to  set  before 
folks.  Anna,  you  've  got  to  stir  yourself  and  help, 
while  I  get  the  fire  started  up ;  lay  one  o'  them  big 
dinner  napkins  over  the  red  cloth,  and  set  a  plate 
an'  a  tea-cup,  for  as  for  laying  the  whole  table 
over  again,  I  won't  and  I  shan't.  There  's  water 
to  cart  upstairs  and  the  bed-room  to  open,  but 
Heaven  be  thanked  I  was  up  there  dustin'  to-day, 
and  if  ever  you  set  a  mug  of  flowers  into  one  o1 


AT  DR.  LESLIE'S.  91 

the  spare-rooms  again  and  leave  it  there  a  week 
or  ten  days  to  spile,  I  '11  speak  about  it  to  the 
doctor.  Now  you  step  out  o'  my  way  like  a  good 
girl.  I  don't  know  whether  you  or  the  cat's  the 
worst  for  gettin'  before  me  when  I  'm  in  a  drive. 
I  '11  set  him  out  somethin'  to  eat,  and  then  I  'm 
goin'  to  meetin'  if  the  skies  fall." 

Nan  meekly  obeyed  directions,  and  with  a  sense 
of  guilt  concerning  the  deserted  posies  went  to 
hover  about  the  study  door  after  the  plates  were 
arranged,  instead  of  braving  further  the  stormy 
atmosphere  of  the  kitchen.  Manila's  lamp  had 
shone  in  so  that  there  had  been  light  enough 
in  the  dining-room,  but  the  study  was  quite  dark 
except  where  there  was  one  spark  at  the  end  of 
the  doctor's  half-finished  cigar,  which  was  alter 
nately  dim  and  bright  like  the  revolving  lantern 
of  a  lighthouse. 

At  that  moment  the  smoker  rose,  and  with  his 
most  considerate  and  conciliatory  tone  asked  Ma- 
rilla  for  the  study  lamp,  but  Nan  heard,  and  ran 
on  tiptoe  and  presently  brought  it  in  from  the 
kitchen,  holding  it  carefully  with  both  hands  and 
walking  slowly.  She  apparently  had  no  thought 
beyond  her  errand,  but  she  was  brimful  of  eager 
ness  to  see  the  unexpected  guest ;  for  guests  were 
by  no  means  frequent,  and  since  she  had  really 
become  aware  of  a  great  outside  world  beyond  the 
boundaries  of  Oldfields  she  welcomed  the  sight  of 
any  messengers. 

Dr.    Leslie   hastily   pushed  away   some   books 


92  A    COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

from  the  lamp's  place  ;  and  noticing  that  his  vis 
itor  looked  at  Nan  with  surprise,  quickly  explained 
that  this  little  girl  had  come  to  take  care  of  him, 
and  bade  Nan  speak  to  Dr.  Ferris.  Whereupon 
her  bravery  was  sorely  tried,  but  not  overcome, 
and  afterward  she  sat  down  in  her  own  little 
chair,  quite  prepared  to  be  hospitable.  As  she 
heard  a  sound  of  water  being  poured  into  a  pitcher 
in  the  best  room  upstairs,  she  was  ready  to  laugh 
if  there  had  been  anybody  to  laugh  with,  and 
presently  Manila  appeared  at  the  door  with  the 
announcement  that  there  was  some  tea  waiting 
in  the  dining-room,  after  which  and  before  any 
body  had  thought  of  moving,  the  side  gate  clacked 
resolutely,  and  Marilla,  looking  more  prim  and 
unruffled  than  usual,  sped  forth  to  the  enjoyment 
of  her  Friday  evening  privileges. 

Nan  followed  the  gentlemen  to  the  dining-room 
not  knowing  whether  she  were  wanted  or  not,  but 
feeling  quite  assured  when  it  was  ascertained  that 
neither  sugar  nor  teaspoons  had  been  provided. 
The  little  feast  looked  somewhat  meagre,  and  the 
doctor  spoke  irreverently  of  his  housekeeper  and 
proceeded  to  abstract  a  jar  of  her  best  strawberry 
jam  from  the  convenient  store-closet,  and  to  col 
lect  other  articles  of  food  which  seemed  to  him 
to  be  inviting,  however  inappropriate  to  the  oc 
casion.  The  guest  would  have  none  of  the  jam, 
but  Dr.  Leslie  cut  a  slice  of  the  loaf  of  bread  for 
himself  and  one  for  Nan,  though  it  had  already 
waned  beyond  its  last  quarter,  and  nobody  knew 


AT  DR.  LESLIE'S.  93 

what  would  happen  if  there  were  no  toast  at 
breakfast  time.  Marilla  would  never  know  what 
a  waste  of  jam  was  spread  upon  these  slices  either, 
but  she  was  a  miser  only  with  the  best  preserves, 
and  so  our  friends  reveled  in  their  stolen  pleasure, 
and  were  as  merry  together  as  heart  could  wish. 

Nan  thought  it  very  strange  when  she  found 
that  the  doctor  and  his  guest  had  been  at  school 
together,  for  the  stranger  seemed  so  old  and  worn. 
They  were  talking  about  other  classmates  at  first, 
and  she  sat  still  to  listen,  until  the  hour  of  Ma- 
rilla's  return  drew  near  and  Dr.  Leslie  prudently 
returned  to  his  own  uninvaded  apartment.  Nan 
was  told,  to  her  sorrow,  that  it  was  past  her  bed 
time  and  as  she  stopped  to  say  good -night,  candle 
in  hand,  a  few  moments  afterward,  the  doctor 
stooped  to  kiss  her  with  unusual  tenderness,  and 
a  little  later,  when  she  was  safe  in  her  small  bed 
room  and  under  the  coverlet  which  was  Marilla's 
glory,  having  been  knit  the  winter  before  in  an 
intricate  pattern,  she  almost  shook  with  fear  at 
the  sound  of  its  maker's  vengeful  footsteps  in  the 
lower  room.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  the  influence 
of  the  meeting  had  been  very  good,  and  that  one 
of  its  attendants  had  come  home  equal  to  great 
demands  upon  her  fortitude  and  patience.  Nan 
could  not  help  wishing  she  had  thought  to  put 
away  the  jam,  and  she  wondered  how  Marilla 
would  treat  them  all  in  the  morning.  But,  to  do 
that  worthy  woman  justice,  she  was  mild  and  con 
siderate,  and  outdid  herself  in  the  breakfast  that 


94  A   COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

was  set  forth  in  the  guest's  honor,  and  Dr.  Ferris 
thought  he  could  do  no  less  than  to  add  to  his 
morning  greeting  the  question  why  she  was  not 
growing  old  like  the  rest  of  them,  which,  though 
not  answered,  was  pleasantly  received. 

The  host  and  guest  talked  very  late  the  night 
before,  and  told  each  other  many  things.  Dr. 
Leslie  had  somewhat  unwillingly  undertaken  the 
country  practice  which  had  grown  dearer  to  him 
with  every  year,  but  there  were  family  reasons 
why  he  had  decided  to  stay  in  Oldfields  for  a 
few  months  at  least,  and  though  it  was  not  long 
before  he  was  left  alone,  not  only  by  the  father 
and  mother  whose  only  child  he  was,  but  by  his 
wife  and  child,  he  felt  less  and  less  inclination  to 
break  the  old  ties  and  transplant  himself  to  some 
more  prominent  position  of  the  medical  world. 
The  leisure  he  often  had  at  certain  seasons  of 
the  year  was  spent  in  the  studies  which  always 
delighted  him,  and  little  by  little  he  gained  great 
repute  among  his  professional  brethren.  He  was 
a  scholar  and  a  thinker  in  other  than  medical 
philosophies,  and  most  persons  who  knew  any 
thing  of  him  thought  it  a  pity  that  he  should  be 
burying  himself  alive,  as  they  were  pleased  to 
term  his  devotion  to  his  provincial  life.  His  rare 
excursions  to  the  cities  gave  more  pleasure  to 
other  men  than  to  himself,  however,  in  these  later 
years,  and  he  laughingly  proclaimed  himself  to  be 
growing  rusty  and  behind  the  times  to  Dr.  Ferris, 
who  smiled  indulgently,  and  did  not  take  the 


AT  DR.  LESLIE'S.  95 

trouble  to  contradict  so  untrue  and  preposterous 
an  assertion. 

If  one  man  had  been  a  stayer  at  home ;  a  vegeta 
ble  nature,  as  Dr.  Leslie  had  gone  on  to  say,  which 
has  no  power  to  change  its  locality  or  to  better  it 
self  by  choosing  another  and  more  adequate  or 
stimulating  soil;  the  other  had  developed  the  op 
posite  extreme  of  character,  being  by  nature  a 
rover.  From  the  medical  school  he  had  entered  at 
once  upon  the  duties  of  a  naval  appointment,  and 
after  he  had  become  impatient  of  its  .routine  of 
practice  and  its  check  upon  his  freedom,  he  had 
gone,  always  with  some  sufficient  and  useful  object, 
to  one  far  country  after  another.  Lately  he  had 
spent  an  unusual  number  of  consecutive  months 
in  Japan,  which  was  still  unfamiliar  even  to  most 
professional  travelers,  and  he  had  come  back  to 
America  enthusiastic  and  full  of  plans  for  many 
enterprises  which  his  shrewd,  but  not  very  per 
sistent  brain  had  conceived.  The  two  old  friends 
were  delighted  to  see  each  other,  but  they  took 
this  long-deferred  meeting  as  calmly  as  if  they 
were  always  next-door  neighbors.  It  was  a  most 
interesting  thing  that  while  they  led  such  differ 
ent  lives  and  took  such  apparently  antagonistic 
routes  of  progression, .  they  were  pretty  sure  to 
arrive  at  the  same  conclusion,  though  it  might 
appear  otherwise  to  a  listener  who  knew  them 
both  slightly. 

"And  who  is  the  little  girl?  "  asked  Dr.  Ferris, 
who  had  refused  his  entertainer's  cigars  and  pro- 


96  A    COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

duced  a  pipe  from  one  pocket,  after  having  drawn 
a  handful  of  curious  small  jade  figures  from  an 
other  and  pushed  them  along  the  edge  of  the 
study  table,  without  comment,  for  his  friend  to 
look  at.  Some  of  them  were  so  finely  carved 
that  they  looked  like  a  heap  of  grotesque  insects 
struggling  together  as  they  lay  there,  but  though 
Dr.  Leslie's  eyes  brightened  as  he  glanced  at 
them,  he  gave  no  other  sign  of  interest  at  that 
time,  and  answered  his  guest's  question  instead. 

"She  is  a  ward  of  mine,"  he  said ;  "she  was  left 
quite  alone  by  the  death  of  her  grandmother  some 
months  ago,  and  so  I  brought  her  here." 

"  It  is  n't  often  that  I  forget  a  face,"  said  Dr. 
Ferris,  "  but  I  have  been  trying  to  think  what  as 
sociation  I  can  possibly  have  with  that  child.  I 
remember  at  last ;  she  looks  like  a  young  assistant 
surgeon  who  was  on  the  old  frigate  Fortune  with 
me  just  before  I  left  the  service.  I  don't  think 
he  was  from  this  part  of  the  country  though ;  I 
never  heard  what  became  of  him." 

"  I  dare  say  it  was  her  father  ;  I  believe  he  made 
a  voyage  or  two,"  said  Dr.  Leslie,  much  interested. 
"  Do  you  know  anything  more  about  him  ?  you 
always  remember  everything,  Ferris." 

44  Yes,"  answered  the  guest,  slowly  puffing 
away  at  his  pipe.  4k  Yes,  he  was  a  very  bright  fel 
low,  with  a  great  gift  at  doctoring,  but  he  was  wil 
ful,  full  of  queer  twists  and  fancies,  the  marry  in 
haste  and  repent  at  his  leisure  sort  of  young  man." 

44  Exactly  what  he  did,  I  suppose,"  interrupted 


AT  DR.   LESLIE'S.  97 

the  host.  "  Only  his  leisure  was  fortunately  post 
poned  to  the  next  world,  for  the  most  part ;  he 
died  very  young." 

"  I  used  to  think  it  a  great  pity  that  he  had  not 
settled  himself  ashore  in  a  good  city  practice," 
continued  Dr.  Ferris.  "  He  had  a  great  knack  at 
pleasing  people  and  making  friends,  and  he  was 
always  spoiling  for  want  of  work.  I  was  ready 
enough  to  shirk  my  part  of  that,  you  may  be  sure, 
but  if  you  start  with  a  reasonably  healthy  set  of 
men,  crew  and  officers,  and  keep  good  discipline, 
and  have  no  accidents  on  the  voyage,  an  old-fash 
ioned  ship-master's  kit  of  numbered  doses  is  a3 
good  as  anything  on  board  a  man-of-war  in  time 
of  peace.  You  have  mild  cases  that  result  from 
over-heating  or  over-eating,  and  sometimes  a  dam 
aged  finger  to  dress,  or  a  tooth  to  pull.  I  used  to 
tell  young  Prince  that  it  was  a  pity  one  of  the 
men  would  n't  let  himself  be  chopped  to  pieces 
and  fitted  together  again  to  give  us  a  little  amuse 
ment." 

"  That 's  the  name,"  announced  Nan's  guardian 
with  great  satisfaction.  "This  is  a  very  small 
world ;  we  are  all  within  hail  of  each  other.  I 
dare  say  when  we  get  to  Heaven  there  will  not 
be  a  stranger  to  make  friends  with." 

"I  could  give  you  more  wonderful  proofs  of 
that  than  you  would  be  likely  to  believe,"  re 
sponded  the  surgeon.  "  But  tell  me  how  you  hap 
pened  to  have  anything  to  do  with  the  child  ;  did 
Prince  wander  into  this  neighborhood?" 


98  A    COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

"  Not  exactly,  but  he  fell  in  love  with  a  young 
girl  who  was  brought  up  on  one  of  the  farms  just 
out  of  the  village.  She  was  a  strange  character, 
a  handsome  creature,  with  a  touch  of  foolish  am 
bition,  and  soon  grew  impatient  of  the  routine  of 
home  life.  I  believe  that  she  went  away  at  first 
to  work  in  one  of  the  factories  in  Lowell,  and 
afterward  she  drifted  to  D import,  where  young 
Prince's  people  lived,  and  I  dare  say  it  was  when 
he  came  home  from  that  very  voyage  you  knew  of 
that  he  saw  her  and  married  her.  She  worked  in 
a  dressmaker's  shop,  and  worked  very  well  too, 
but  she  had  offended  his  sister  to  begin  with,  one 
day  when  she  was  finding  fault  with  some  work 
that  had  been  done  for  her,  and  so  there  was  no 
end  of  trouble,  and  the  young  man  had  a  great 
battle  at  home,  and  the  more  he  was  fought  the 
less  inclined  lie  was  to  yield,  and  at  last  off  he 
went  to  be  married,  and  never  came  home  again 
until  he  died.  It  was  a  wretched  story  ;  he  only 
lived  two  years,  and  they  went  from  one  place  to 
another,  and  finally  the  end  came  in  some  Western 
town.  He  had  not  been  happy  with  his  wife,  and 
they  quarreled  from  time  to  time,  and  he  asked 
to  be  brought  back  to  Dunport  and  buried.  This 
child  was  only  a  baby,  and  the  Princes  begged 
her  mother  to  give  her  up,  and  used  every  means 
to  try  to  make  friends,  and  to  do  what  was  right. 
But  I  have  always  thought  there  was  blame  on 
both  sides.  At  any  rate  the  wife  was  insolent  and 
unruly,  and  went  flinging  out  of  the  house  as  soon 


AT  DR.   LESLIE'S.  99 

as  the  funeral  was  over.  I  don't  know  what  be 
came  of  them  for  a  while,  but  it  always  seemed  to 
me  as  if  poor  Adeline  must  have  had  a  touch  of 
insanity,  which  faded  away  as  consumption  devel 
oped  itself.  Her  mother's  people  were  a  fine, 
honest  race,  self-reliant  and  energetic,  but  there 
is  a  very  bad  streak  on  the  other  side.  I  have 
heard  that  she  was  seen  begging  somewhere,  but 
I  am  not  sure  that  it  is  true  ;  at  any  rate  she 
would  neither  come  here  to  her  own  home  nor 
listen  to  any  plea  from  her  husband's  family,  and 
at  last  came  back  to  the  farm  one  night  like  a 
ghost,  carrying  the  child  in  her  arms  across  the 
fields ;  all  in  rags  and  tatters,  both  of  them.  She 
confessed  to  me  that  she  had  meant  to  drown  her 
self  and  little  Nan  together.  I  could  never  un 
derstand  why  she  went  down  so  fast.  I  know  that 
she  had  been  drinking.  Some  people  might  say 
that  it  was  the  scorn  of  her  husband's  relatives, 
but  that  is  all  nonsense,  and  I  have  no  doubt  she 
and  the  young  man  might  have  done  very  well  if 
this  had  n't  spoiled  all  their  chances  at  the  outset. 
She  was  quite  unbalanced  and  a  strange,  wild  crea 
ture,  very  handsome  in  her  girlhood,  but  morally 
undeveloped.  It  was  impossible  not  to  have  a 
liking  for  her.  I  remember  her  when  she  was  a 
baby." 

"  And  yet  people  talk  about  the  prosaic  New 
England  life!"  exclaimed  Dr.  Ferris.  "  I  won 
der  where  I  could  match  such  a  story  as  that, 
though  I  dare  say  that  you  know  a  dozen  others.  I 


100  A   COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

tell  you,  Leslie,  that  for  intense,  self-centred,  smoul 
dering  volcanoes  of  humanity,  New  England  can 
not  be  matched  the  world  over.  It  's  like  the 
regions  in  Iceland  that  are  full  of  geysers.  I  don't 
know  whether  it  is  the  inheritance  from  those 
people  who  broke  away  from  the  old  countries, 
and  who  ought  to  be  matched  to  tremendous  cir 
cumstances  of  life,  but  now  and  then  there  comes 
an  amazingly  explosive  and  uncontrollable  tem 
perament  that  goes  all  to  pieces  from  its  own  con 
servation  and  accumulation  of  force.  By  and  by 
you  will  have  all  blown  up,  —  you  quiet  descend 
ants  of  the  Pilgrims  and  Puritans,  and  have  let 
off  your  superfluous  wickedness  like  blizzards ; 
and  when  the  blizzards  of  each  family  have  spent 
themselves  you  will  grow  dull  and  sober,  and  all 
on  a  level,  and  be  free  from  the  troubles  of  a  tran 
sition  state.  Now,  you  're  neither  a  new  country 
nor  an  old  one.  You  ought  to  see  something  of 
the  older  civilizations  to  understand  what  peace 
of  mind  is.  Unless  some  importation  of  explo 
sive  material  from  the  westward  stirs  them  up, 
one  century  is  made  the  pattern  for  the  next. 
But  it  is  perfectly  wonderful  what  this  climate 
does  for  people  who  come  to  it,  —  a  south  of 
Ireland  fellow,  for  instance,  who  has  let  himself 
be  rained  on  and  then  waited  for  the  sun  to  dry 
him  again,  and  has  grubbed  a  little  in  a  bit  of 
ground,  just  enough  to  hint  to  it  that  it  had 
better  be  making  a  crop  of  potatoes  for  him.  I 
always  expect  to  see  the  gorse  and  daisies  grow- 


AT  DR.  LESLIE'S.  ",-,101 

ing  on  the  old  people's  heads  to  match  the  cabins. 
But  they  come  over  here  and  forget  their  idle 
ness,  and  in  a  week  or  two  the  east  winds  are 
making  them  work,  and  thrashing  them  if  they 
are  slow,  worse  than  any  slave-driver  who  ever 
cracked  his  whip-lash.  I  wonder  how  you  stand 
it  ;  I  do,  indeed !  I  can't  take  an  afternoon  nap 
or  have  my  coffee  in  bed  of  a  morning  without 
thinking  I  must  put  into  port  at  the  next  church 
to  be  preached  at." 

Dr.  Leslie  laughed  a  little  and  shook  his  head 
gently.  "  It 's  very  well  for  you  to  talk,  Ferris," 
he  said,  "  since  you  have  done  more  work  than 
any  man  I  know.  And  I  find  this  neighborhood 
entirely  placid ;  one  bit  of  news  will  last  us  a  fort 
night.  I  dare  say  Marilla  will  let  everybody 
know  that  you  have  come  to  town,  and  have  ex 
plained  why  she  was  ten  minutes  late,  even  to 
the  minister." 

"  How  about  the  little  girl  herself  ?  "  asked  the 
guest  presently ;  "  she  seems  well  combined,  and 
likely,  as  they  used  to  say  whe*n  I  was  a  boy." 

Dr.  Leslie  resumed  the  subject  willingly :  "  So 
far  as  I  can  see,  she  has  the  good  qualities  of  all 
her  ancestors  without  the  bad  ones.  Her  mother's 
mother  was  an  old  fashioned  country  woman  of 
the  best  stock.  Of  course  she  resented  what  she 
believed  to  be  her  daughter's  wrongs,  and  refused 
to  have  anything  to  do  with  her  son-in-law's 
family,  and  kept  the  child  as  carefully  as  possible 
from  any  knowledge  of  them.  Little  Nan  was  not 


102  A    COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

strong  at  first,  but  I  insisted  that  she  should  be 
allowed  to  run  free  out  of  doors.  It  seems  to  me 
that  up  to  seven  or  eight  years  of  age  children  are 
simply  bundles  of  inheritances,  and  I  can  see  the 
traits  of  one  ancestor  after  another;  but  a  little 
later  than  the  usual  time  she  began  to  assert  her 
own  individuality,  and  has  grown  capitally  well  in 
mind  and  body  ever  since.  There  is  an  amusing 
trace  of  the  provincial  self-reliance  and  self-re 
spect  and  farmer-like  dignity,  added  to  a  quick 
instinct,  and  tact  and  ready  courtesy,  which  must 
have  come  from  the  other  side  of  her  ancestry. 
She  is  more  a  child  of  the  soil  than  any  country 
child  I  know,  and  yet  she  would  not  put  a  city 
household  to  shame.  She  has  seen  nothing  of  the 
world  of  course,  but  you  can  see  she  is  n't  like  the 
usual  village  school-girl.  There  is  one  thing  quite 
remarkable.  I  believe  she  has  grown  up  as  natu 
rally  as  a  plant  grows,  not  having  been  clipped 
back  or  forced  in  any  unnatural  direction.  If 
ever  a  human  being  were  untrammeled  and  left 
alone  to  see  what  will  come  of  it,  it  is  this  child. 
And  I  will  own  I  am  very  much  interested  to  see 
what  will  appear  later." 

The  navy  surgeon's  eyes  twinkled  at  this  en 
thusiasm,  but  he  asked  soberly  what  seemed  to  be 
our  heroine's  bent,  so  far  as  could  be  discovered, 
and  laughed  outright  when  he  was  gravely  told 
that  it  was  a  medical  bent ;  a  surprising  under 
standing  of  things  pertaining  to  that  most  delight 
ful  profession. 


AT  DR.   LESLIE'S.  103 

"  But  you  surely  don't  mean  to  let  her  risk  her 
happiness  in  following  that  career  ?  "  Dr.  Ferris 
inquired  with  feigned  anxiety  for  his  answer. 
"  You  surely  are  n't  going  to  sacrifice  that  inno 
cent  creature  to  a  theory  !  I  know  it 's  a  theory  ; 
last  time  I  was  here,  you  could  think  of  nothing 
but  hypnotism  or  else  the  action  of  belladonna  in 
congestion  and  inflammation  of  the  brain  ;  "  and 
he  left  his  very  comfortable  chair  suddenly,  with 
a  burst  of  laughter,  and  began  to  walk  up  and 
down  the  room.  "  She  has  no  relatives  to  protect 
her,  and  I  consider  it  a  shocking  case  of  a  guar 
dian's  inhumanity.  Grown  up  naturally  indeed  ! 
I  don't  doubt  that  you  supplied  her  with  Bell's 
4  Anatomy  '  for  a  picture-book  and  made  her  say 
over  the  names  of  the  eight  little  bones  of  her 
wrist,  instead  of  4  This  little  pig  went  to  market.'  " 

"  I  only  hope  that  you  '11  live  to  grow  up  your 
self,  Ferris,"  said  his  entertainer,  uyou  '11  certainly 
be  an  ornament  to  your  generation.  What  a  boy 
you  are  !  I  should  think  you  would  feel  as  old 
as  Methuselah  by  this  time,  after  having  rattled 
from  one  place  to  the  next  all  these  years.  Don't 
you  begin  to  get  tired  ?  " 

"  No,  I  don't  believe  I  do,"  replied  Dr.  Ferris, 
lending  himself  to  this  new  turn  of  the  conversa 
tion,  but  not  half  satisfied  with  the  number  of  his 
jokes.  "I  used  to  be  afraid  I  should,  and  so  I 
tried  to  see  everything  I  could  of  the  world  before 
my  enthusiasm  began  to  cool.  And  as  for  rat 
tling  to  the  next  place,  as  you  say,  you  show  your- 


104  A    COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

self  to  be  no  traveler  by  nature,  or  you  would  n't 
speak  so  slightingly.  It  is  extremely  dangerous 
to  make  long  halts.  I  could  cry  with  homesick 
ness  at  the  thought  of  the  towns  I  have  spent 
more  than  a  month  in  ;  they  are  like  the  people 
one  knows ;  if  you  see  them  once,  you  go  away 
satisfied,  and  you  can  bring  them  to  mind  after 
ward,  and  think  how  they  looked  or  just  where  it 
was  you  met  them,  —  out  of  doors  or  at  the  club. 
But  if  you  live  with  those  people,  and  get  fond  of 
them,  and  have  a  thousand  things  to  remember, 
you  get  more  pain  than  pleasure  out  of  it  when 
you  go  away.  And  one  can't  be  everywhere  at 
once,  so  if  you  're  going  to  care  for  things  tremen 
dously,  you  had  better  stay  in  one  town  altogether. 
No,  give  me  a  week  or  two,  and  then  I  've  some 
thing  calling  me  to  the  next  place  ;  somebody  to 
talk  with  or  a  book  to  see,  and  off  I  go.  Yet, 
I  've  done  a  good  bit  of  work  in  my  day  after  all. 
Did  you  see  that  paper  of  mine  in  the  '  Lancet ' 
about  some  experiments  I  made  when  I  was  last 
in  India  with  those  tree-growing  jugglers  ?  and 
I  worked  out  some  curious  things  about  the  math 
ematics  of  music  on  this  last  voyage  home  !  Why, 
I  thought  it  would  tear  my  heart  in  two  when  I 
came  away.  I  should  have  grown  to  look  like 
the  people,  and  you  might  have  happened  to  find 
a  likeness  of  me  on  a  tea  plate  after  another  year 
or  two.  I  made  all  my  plans  one  day  to  stay 
another  winter,  and  next  day  at  eleven  o'clock  I 
was  steaming  down  the  harbor.  But  there  was  a 


AT  DR.  LESLIE'S.  105 

poor  you.ng  lad  I  had  taken  a  liking  for,  an  Eng 
lish  boy,  who  was  badly  off  after  an  accident  and 
needed  somebody  to  look  after  him.  I  thought 
the  best  thing  I  could  do  was  to  bring  him  home. 
Are  you  going  to  fit  your  ward  for  general  prac 
tice  or  for  a  specialty  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know  ;  that  '11  be  for  the  young  per 
son  herself  to  decide,"  said  Dr.  Leslie  good-hu- 
moredly.  "  But  she  's  showing  a  real  talent  for 
medical  matters.  It  is  quite  unconscious  for  the 
most  part,  but  I  find  that  she  understands  a  good 
deal  already,  and  she  sat  here  all  the  afternoon 
last  week  with  one  of  my  old  medical  dictionaries. 
I  could  n't  help  looking  over  her  shoulder  as  I 
went  by,  and  she  was  reading  about  fevers,  if  you 
please,  as  if  it  were  a  story-book.  I  did  n't  think 
it  was  worth  while  to  tell  her  we  understood 
things  better  nowadays,  and  did  n't  think  it  best 
to  bleed  as  much  as  old  Dr.  Rush  recommended." 
"  You  're  like  a  hen  with  one  chicken,  Leslie," 
said  the  friend,  still  pacing  to  and  fro.  "  But 
seriously,  I  like  your  notion  of  her  having  come  to 
this  of  her  own  accord.  Most  of  us  are  grown  in 
""tile  shapes  that  society  and  family  preference  and 
prejudice  fasten  us  into,  and  don't  find  out  until 
we  are  well  toward  middle  life  that  we  should 
have  done  a  great  deal  better  at  something  else. 
Our  vocations  are  likely  enough  to  be  badly  chosen, 
since  few  persons  are  fit  to  choose  them  for  us, 
and  we  are  at  the  most  unreasonable  stage  of  life 
when  we  choose  them  for  ourselves.  And  what  the 


106  A    COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

Lord  made  some  people  for,  nobody  ever  can  un 
derstand  ;  some  of  us  are  for  use  and  more  are  for 
waste,  like  the  flowers.  I  am  in  such  a  hurry  to 
know  what  the  next  world  is  like  that  I  can  hardly 
wait  to  get  to  it.  Good  heavens  !  we  live  here  in 
our  familiar  fashion,  going  at  a  jog-trot  pace  round 
our  little  circles,  with  only  a  friend  or  two  to 
speak  with  who  understand  us,  and  a  pipe  and  a 
jack-knife  and  a  few  books  and  some  old  clothes, 
and  please  ourselves  by  thinking  we  know  the 
universe  !  Not  a  soul  of  us  can  tell  what  it  is  that 
sends  word  to  our  little  fingers  to  move  themselves 
back  and  forward." 

"  We  're  sure  of  two  things  at  any  rate,",  said 
Dr.  Leslie,  "love  to  God  and  love  to  man.  And 
though  I  have  lived  here  all  my  days,  I  have 
learned  some  truths  just  as  well  as  if  I  had  gone 
about  with  you,  or  even  been  to  the  next  world 
and  come  back.  I  have  seen  too  many  lives  go  to 
pieces,  and  too  many  dissatisfied  faces,  and  I  have 
heard  too  many  sorrowful  confessions  from  these 
country  death-beds  I  have  watched  beside,  one 
after  another,  for  twenty  or  thirty  years.  'And  if 
I  can  help  one  good  child  to  work  with  nature  and 
not  against  it,  and  to  follow  the  lines  marked  out 
for  her,  and  she  turns  out  useful  and  intelligent, 
and  keeps  off  the  rocks  of  mistaking  her  duty,  I 
shall  be  more  than  glad.  I  don't  care  whether 
it 's  a  man's  work  or  a  woman's  work ;  if  it  is 
hers  I  'm  going  to  help  her  the  very  best  way  I 
can.  I  don't  talk  to  her  of  course ;  she 's  much  too 


AT  DR.  LESLIE'S.  107 

young;  but  I  watch  her  and  mean  to  put  the 
things  in  her  way  that  she  seems  to  reach  out  for 
and  try  to  find.  She  is  going  to  be  very  practical, 
for  her  hands  can  almost  always  work  out  her 
ideas  already.  I  like  to  see  her  take  hold  of 
things,  and  I  like  to  see  her  walk  and  the  way 
she  lifts  her  feet  and  puts  them  down  again.  I 
must  say,  Ferris,  there  is  a  great  satisfaction  in 
finding  a  human  being  once  in  a  while  that  has 
some  use  of  itself." 

"You  're  right!"  said  Dr.  Ferris;  "but  don't 
be  disappointed  when  she  's  ten  years  older  if  she 
picks  out  a  handsome  young  man  and  thinks  there 
is  nothing  like  housekeeping.  Have  you  taken  a 
look  at  my  pocketful  of  heathen  idols  there  yet  ? 
I  don't  think  you  've  ever  seen  their  mates." 

The  stayer  at  home  smiled  as  if  he  understood 
his  friend's  quiet  bit  of  pleasantry,  and  reached  for 
one  of  the  treasures,  but  folded  it  in  his  hand  with 
out  looking  at  it  and  seemed  to  be  lost  in  medita 
tion.  The  surgeon  concluded  that  he  had  had 
enough  exercise  and  laid  himself  down  on  the 
wide  sofa  at  the  end  of  the  room,  from  whence  he 
could  watch  his  companion's  face.  He  clasped  his 
hands  under  his  head  and  looked  eager  and  in 
terested.  He  had  grown  to  have  something  of 
the  appearance  of  a  foreigner,  as  people  often  do 
who  have  spent  much  time  in  eastern  countries. 
The  two  friends  were  silent  for  some  minutes,  un 
til  an  impatient  voice  roused  Dr.  Leslie  from  his 
reflections. 


108  A   COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

"  It  always  makes  me  covet  my  neighbor's 
wits  when  I  see  you  !  "  announced  the  wanderer. 
"  If  I  settled  myself  into  a  respectable  practice  I 
should  be  obliged  to  march  with  the  army  of  doc 
tors  who  carry  a  great  array  of  small  weapons, 
and  who  find  out  what  is  the  matter  with  their  pa 
tients  after  all  sorts  of  experiment  and  painstaking 
analysis,  and  comparing  the  results  of  their  ther 
mometers  and  microscopes  with  scientific  books  of 
reference.  After  I  have  done  all  that,  you  know, 
if  I  have  had  good  luck  I  shall  come  to  exactly 
what  you  can  say  before  you  have  been  with  a  sick 
man  five  minutes.  You  have  the  true  gift  for 
doctoring,  you  need  no  medical  dictator,  and  what 
ever  you  study  and  whatever  comes  to  you  in  the 
way  of  instruction  simply  ministers  to  your  intui 
tion.  It  grows  to  be  a  wonderful  second-sight  in 
such  a  man  as  you.  I  don't  believe  you  inves 
tigate  a  case  and  treat  it  as  a  botanist  does  a 
strange  flower,  once  a  month.  You  know  without 
telling  yourself  what  the  matter  is,  and  what  the 
special  difference  is,  and  the  relative  dangers  of 
this  case  and  one  apparently  just  like  it  across  the 
street,  and  you  could  do  this  before  you  were  out 
of  the  hospitals.  I  remember  you  !  "  and  after  a 
few  vigorous  puffs  of  smoke  he  went  on  ;  u  It  is 
all  very  well  for  the  rest  of  the  men  to  be  proud 
of  their  book  learning,  but  they  don't  even  try  to 
follow  nature,  as  Sydenham  did,  who  followed  no 
man.  I  believe  such  study  takes  one  to  more  theory 
and  scientific  digest  rather  than  to  more  skill.  It 


AT  DR.  LESLIE'S.  109 

is  all  very  well  to  know  how  to  draw  maps  when 
one  gets  lost  on  a  dark  night,  or  even  to  begin  with 
astronomical  calculations  and  come  down  to  a 
chemical  analysis  of  the  mud  you  stand  in,  but 
hang  me  if  I  would  n't  rather  have  the  instinct 
of  a  dog  who  can  go  straight  home  across  a  bit  of 
strange  country.  A  man  has  no  right  to  be  a  doc 
tor  if  he  does  n't  simply  make  everything  bend 
to  his  work  of  getting  sick  people  well,  and  of 
trying  to  remedy  the  failures  of  strength  that 
come  from  misuse  or  inheritance  or  ignorance. 
The  anatomists  and  the  pathologists  have  their 
place,  but  we  must  look  to  the  living  to  learn  the 
laws  of  life,  not  to  the  dead.  A  wreck  shows  you 
where  the  reef  is,  perhaps,  but  not  how  to  manage 
a  ship  in  the  offing.  The  men  who  make  it  their 
business  to  write  the  books  and  the  men  who 
make  it  their  business  to  follow  them  are  n't  the 
ones  for  successful  practice." 

Dr.  Leslie  smiled,  and  looked  over  his  shoulder 
at  his  beloved  library  shelves,  as  if  he  wished  to 
assure  the  useful  volumes  of  his  continued  affec 
tion  and  respect,  and  said  quietly,  as  if  to  beg  the 
displeased  surgeon's  patience  with  his  brethren  : 
"  They  go  on,  poor  fellows,  studying  the  symp 
toms  and  never  taking  it  in  that  the  life  power  is 
at  fault.  I  see  more  and  more  plainly  that  we 
ought  to  strengthen  and  balance  the  whole  system, 
and  aid  nature  to  make  the  sick  man  well  again. 
It  is  nature  that  does  it  after  all,  and  diseases 
are  oftener  effects  of  illness  than  causes.  But  the 


110  A    COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

young  practitioners  must  follow  the  text  -books 
a  while  until  they  have  had  enough  experience  to 
open  their  eyes  to  observe  and  have  learned  to 
think  for  themselves.  I  don't  know  which  is 
worse  ;  too  much  routine  or  no  study  at  all.  I 
was  trying  the  other  day  to  count  up  the  different 
treatments  of  pneumonia  that  have  been  in  fash 
ion  in  our  day ;  there  must  be  seven  or  eight, 
and  I  am  only  afraid  the  next  thing  will  be  a  sort 
of  skepticism  and  contempt  of  remedies.  Dr. 
Johnson  said  long  ago  that  physicians  were  a  class 
of  men  who  put  bodies  of  which  they  knew  little 
into  bodies  of  which  they  knew  less,  but  certainly 
this  is  n't  the  fault  of  the  medicines  altogether ; 
you  and  I  know  well  enough  they  are  often  most 
stupidly  used.  If  we  blindly  follow  the  medical 
dictators,  as  you  call  them,  and  spend  our  treat 
ment  on  the  effects  instead  of  the  causes,  what 
success  can  we  expect  ?  We  do  want  more  sug 
gestions  from  the  men  at  work,  but  I  suppose  this 
is  the  same  with  every  business.  The  practical 
medical  men  are  the  juries  who  settle  all  the 
theories  of  the  hour,  as  they  meet  emergencies 
day  after  day." 

"  The  men  who  have  the  true  gift  for  their 
work,"  said  Dr.  Ferris  impatiently.  "  I  had  n't 
the  conscience  to  go  on  myself,  that 's  why  I  re 
signed,  you  know.  I  can  talk  about  it,  but  I  am 
Xiot  a  good  workman.  But  if  there  are  going  to 
be  doctors  in  the  next  world,  I  wish  I  might  be 
lucky  enough  to  be  equal  to  such  a  heavenly  busi- 


AT  DR.  LESLIE'S.  Ill 

ness.  You  thought  I  didn't  care  enough  about  tho 
profession  to  go  on,  but  it  was  n't  so.  Do  push 
your  little  girl  ahead  if  she  has  the  real  fitness. 
I  suppose  it  is  a  part  of  your  endowment  that 
you  can  distinguish  the  capacities  and  tendencies 
of  health  as  well  as  illness ;  and  there  's  one  thing 
certain,  the  world  cannot  afford  to  do  without  the 
workmen  who  are  masters  of  their  business  by 
divine  right." 

Dr.  Leslie  was  looking  at  the  jade-stone  gods. 
"  I  suppose  the  poor  fellows  who  chipped  out  these 
treasures  of  yours  may  have  thought  they  were 
really  putting  a  visible  piece  of  Heaven  within 
their  neighbors'  reach,"  he  said.  "  We  can't  get 
used  to  the  fact  that  whatever  truly  belongs  to  the 
next  world  is  not  visible  in  this,  and  that  there  is 
idol-making  and  worshiping  forever  going  on. 
When  we  let  ourselves  forget  to  educate  our  faith 
and  our  spiritual  intellects,  and  lose  sight  of  our 
relation  and  dependence  upon  the  highest  inform 
ing  strength,  we  are  trying  to  move  our  machinery 
by  some  inferior  motive  power.  We  worship  our 
tools  and  beg  success  of  them  instead  of  remem 
bering  that  we  are  all  apprentices  to  the  great 
Master  of  our  own  and  every  man's  craft.  It  is 
the  great  ideas  of  our  work  that  we  need,  and  the 
laws  of  its  truths.  We  shall  be  more  intelligent 
by  and  by  about  making  the  best  of  ourselves  ; 
our  possibilities  are  infinitely  beyond  what  most 
people  even  dream.  Spiritual  laziness  and  physi 
cal  laziness  together  keep  us  just  this  side  of  sound 


112  A   COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

sleep  most  of  the  time.  Perhaps  you  think  it  is 
a  proper  season  for  one  at  least  ?  " 

"  Dear  me,  no  !  "  said  Dr.  Ferris,  who  was  evi 
dently  quite  wide  awake.  "  Do  you  remember 
how  well  Buckle  says  that  the  feminine  intellect 
is  the  higher,  and  that  the  great  geniuses  of  the 
world  have  possessed  it?  The  gift  of  intuition 
reaches  directly  towards  the  truth,  and  it  is  only 
reasoning  by  deduction  that  can  take  flight  into 
the  upper  air  of  life  and  certainty.  You  remem 
ber  what  he  says  about  that  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  said  Dr.  Leslie.  "  Yes,  it  is  n't  a  thing 
one  easily  forgets.  But  I  have  long  believed  that 
the  powers  of  Christ  were  but  the  higher  powers 
of  our  common  humanity.  We  recognize  them 
dimly  now  and  then,  but  few  of  us  dare  to  say  so 
yet.  The  world  moves  very  slowly,  does  n't  it  ? 
If  Christ  were  perfect  man,  He  could  hardly  tell 
us  to  follow  Him  and  be  like  Him,  and  yet  know 
all  the  while  that  it  was  quite  impossible,  because 
a  difference  in  his  gifts  made  his  character  an 
unapproachable  one  to  ours.  We  don't  amount  to 
anything,  simply  because  we  won't  understand 
that  we  must  receive  the  strength  of  Heaven  into 
our  souls ;  that  it  depends  upon  our  degree  of  recep 
tivity,  and  our  using  the  added  power  that  comes 
in  that  way ;  not  in  our  taking  our  few  tools,  and 
our  self-esteem  and  satisfaction  with  ourselves, 
and  doing  our  little  tricks  like  dancing  dogs ;  proud 
because  the  other  dogs  can  do  one  less  than  we, 
or  only  bark  and  walk  about  on  their  four  legs. 


AT  DR.  LESLIE'S.  113 

It  is  our  souls  that  make  our  bodies  worth  any 
thing,  and  the  life  of  the  soul  does  n't  come 
from  its  activity,  or  any  performance  of  its  own. 
Those  things  are  only  the  results  and  the  signs  of 
life,  not  the  causes  of  it." 

"  Christ  in  us,  ths  hope  of  glory,"  said  the  other 
doctor  gravely,  "  and  Christ's  glory  was  his  use 
fulness  and  gift  for  helping  others;  I  believe 
there  's  less  quackery  in  our  profession  than  any 
other,  but  it  is  amazing  how  we  bungle  at  it.  I 
wonder  how  you  will  get  on  with  your  little  girl? 
If  people  did  n't  have  theories  of  life  of  their  own, 
or  would  n't  go  exactly  the  wrong  way,  it  would 
be  easier  to  offer  assistance ;  but  where  one  per 
son  takes  a  right  direction  of  his  own  accord, 
there  are  twenty  who  wander  to  and  fro." 

44 1  may  as  well  confess  to  you,"  he  continued 
presently,  44  that  I  have  had  a  protege  myself,  but 
I  don't  look  for  much  future  joy  in  watching  the 
development  of  my  plots.  He  has  taken  affairs 
into  his  own  hands,  and  I  dare  say  it  is  much  bet 
ter  for  him,  for  if  I  had  caught  him  young  enough, 
I  should  have  wished  him  to  run  the  gauntlet  of 
all  the  professions,  not  to  speak  of  the  arts  and 
sciences.  He  was  a  clever  young  fellow  ;  I  saw 
him  married  the  day  before  I  left  England.  His 
wife  was  the  daughter  of  a  curate,  and  he  the 
younger  son  of  a  younger  son,  and  it  was  a  love  af 
fair  worth  two  or  three  story-books.  It  came  to  be 
a  question  of  money  alone.  I  had  known  the  boy 
the  year  before  in  Bombay  and  chanced  to  find  him 

8 


114  A   COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

one  day  in  the  Marine  Hospital  at  Nagasaki.  We 
had  been  up  into  the  interior  together.  He  was 
recommended  to  me  as  a  sort  of  secretary  and 
assistant  and  knew  more  than  I  did  about  most 
things.  When  he  caught  sight  of  me  he  cried 
like  a  baby,  and  I  sat  down  and  heard  what  the 
trouble  was,  for  I  had  let  him  go  off  with  some 
body  who  could  give  him  a  good  salary,  —  a  gov 
ernment  man  of  position,  and  I  thought  poor  Bob 
would  be  put  in  the  way  of  something  better. 
Dear  me,  the  climate  was  killing  him  before  my 
eyes,  and  I  took  passage  for  both  of  us  on  the  next 
day's  steamer.  When  I  got  him  home  I  turned 
my  bank  account  into  a  cheque  and  tucked  it  into 
his  pocket,  and  told  him  to  marry  his  wife  and 
settle  down  and  be  respectable  and  forget  such  a 
wandering  old  fellow  as  I." 

The  listener  made  a  little  sound  of  mingled 
admiration  and  disgust. 

"  So  you  're  the  same  piece  of  improvidence  as 
ever !  I  wonder  if  you  worked  your  passage  over 
to  Boston,  or  came  as  a  stowaway?  Well,  I'm 
glad  to  give  you  house-room,  and,  to  tell  the 
truth,  I  was  wondering  how  I  should  get  on  to 
morrow  without  somebody  to  help  me  in  a  piece 
of  surgery.  My  neighbors  are  not  very  skillful, 
but  they  're  good  men  every  one  of  them,  unless 
it 's  old  Jackson,  who  knows  no  more  about  the 
practice  of  medicine  than  a  turtle  knows  about 
the  nearest  fixed  star.  Ferris !  I  don't  wonder  at 
your  giving  away  the  last  cent  you  had  in  the 


AT  DR.  LESLIE'S.  115 

world,  I  only  wonder  that  you  had  a  cent  to  give. 
I  hope  the  young  man  was  grateful,  that 's  all, 
only  I  'm  not  sure  I  like  his  taking  it." 

"  He  thought  I  had  enough  more,  I  dare  say. 
He  said  so  much  I  could  n't  stand  his  nonsense. 
He  '11  use  it  better  than  I  could,"  said  the  guest 
briefly.  "  As  I  said,  I  could  n't  bring  him  up ;  in 
the  first  place  I  have  n't  the  patience,  and  beside, 
it  wouldn't  be  just  to  him.  But  you  must  let  me 
know  how  you  get  on  with  your  project ;  I  shall 
make  you  a  day^s  visit  once  in  six  months." 

"  That  '11  be  good  luck,"  responded  the  cheerful 
host.  "  Now  that  I  am  growing  old  I  find  I  wish 
for  company  oftener ;  just  the  right  man,  you  know, 
to  come  in  for  an  hour  or  two  late  in  the  evening 
to  have  a  cigar,  and  not  say  a  word  if  he  does  n't 
feel  like  it." 

The  two  friends  were  very  comfortable  together ; 
the  successive  cigars  burnt  themselves  out  slowly, 
and  the  light  of  the  great  lamp  was  bright  in  the 
room.  Here  and  there  a  tinge  of  red  shone  out 
on  the  backs  of  the  books  that  stood  close  to 
gether  in  the  high  cases.  There  was  an  old  en 
graving  or  two,  and  in  one  corner  a  solemn  bronze 
figure  of  Dante,  thin  and  angular,  as  if  he  had  risen 
from  his  coffin  to  take  a  last  look  at  this  world. 
Marilla  had  often  spoken  of  him  disrespectfully, 
and  had  suggested  many  other  ornaments  which 
might  be  brought  to  take  his  place,  but  the  doctor 
had  never  acted  upon  her  suggestions.  From  the 
corner  of  one  book-case  there  hung  a  huge  wasp's 


116  A    COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

nest,  and  over  tlie  mantel-shelf,  which  was  only 
wide  enough  for  some  cigar  boxes  and  a  little 
clock  and  a  few  vials  of  medicines,  was  a  rack 
where  three  or  four  riding  whips  and  a  curious 
silver  bit  and  some  long-stemmed  pipes  found  un 
molested  quarters  ;  and  in  one  corner  were  some 
walking  sticks  and  a  fishing  rod  or  two  which  had 
a  very  ancient  unused  look.  There  was  a  por 
trait  of  Dr.  Leslie's  grandfather  opposite  the  fire 
place  ;  a  good-humored  looking  old  gentleman 
who  had  been  the  most  famous  of  the  Oldfields 
ministers.  The  study-table  was  wide  and  long, 
but  it  was  well  covered  with  a  miscellaneous  array 
of  its  owner's  smaller  possessions,  and  the  quick- 
eyed  visitor  smiled  as  he  caught  sight  of  Nan's 
new  copy  of  Miss  Edgeworth's  "Parent's  Assis 
tant  "  lying  open  and  face  downward  on  the  top 
of  an  instrument  case. 

Marilla  did  not  hear  the  doctor  and  his  guest 
tramp  up  to  bed  until  very  late  at  night,  and 
though  she  had  tried  to  keep  awake  she  had  been 
obliged  to  take  a  nap  first  and  then  wake  up 
again  to  get  the  benefit  of  such  an  aggravating 
occasion.  "  I  'm  not  going  to  fret  myself  trying 
to  make  one  of  my  baked  omelets  in  the  morn 
ing,"  she  assured  herself,  "they'll  keep  breakfast 
waiting  three  quarters  of  an  hour,  and  it  would 
fall  flat  sure  's  the  world,  and  the  doctor  's  got  to 
ride  to  all  p'ints  of  the  compass  to-morrow,  too." 


X. 

ACROSS  THE  STREET. 

IT  would  be  difficult  to  say  why  the  village 
of  Oldfields  should  have  been  placed  in  the  least 
attractive  part  of  the  township,  if  one  were  not 
somewhat  familiar  with  the  law  of  growth  of  coun 
try  communities.  The  first  settlers,  being  pious 
kindred  of  the  Pilgrims,  were  mindful  of  the 
necessity  of  a  meeting-house,  and  the  place  for  it 
was  chosen  with  reference  to  the  convenience  of 
most  of  the  worshipers.  Then  the  parson  was 
given  a  parsonage  and  a  tract  of  glebe  land  some 
where  in  the  vicinity  of  his  pulpit,  and  since  this 
was  the  centre  of  social  attraction,  the  blacksmith 
built  his  shop  at  the  nearest  cross-road.  And 
when  some  enterprising  citizen  became  possessed 
of  an  idea  that  there  were  traders  enough  toiling 
to  and  fro  on  the  rough  highways  to  the  nearest 
larger  village  to  make  it  worth  his  while  to  be  an 
interceptor,  the  first  step  was  taken  toward  a  local 
centre  of  commerce,  and  the  village  was  fairly  be 
gun.  It  had  not  yet  reached  a  remarkable  size, 
though  there  was  a  time-honored  joke  because  an 
enthusiastic  old  woman  had  said  once,  when  four 
or  five  houses  and  a  new  meeting-house  were  be 
ing  built  all  in  one  summer,  that  she  expected 


118  A   COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

now  that  she  might  live  to  see  Oldfields  a  seaport 
town.  There  had  been  a  great  excitement  over 
the  second  meeting-house,  to  which  the  conserva 
tive  faction  had  strongly  objected,  but,  after  the 
radicals  had  once  gained  the  day,  other  innova 
tions  passed  without  public  challenge.  The  old 
First  Parish  Church  was  very  white  and  held 
aloft  an  imposing  steeple,  and  strangers  were 
always  commiserated  if  they  had  to  leave  town 
without  the  opportunity  of  seeing  its  front  by 
moonlight.  Behind  this,  and  beyond  a  green 
which  had  been  the  playground  of  many  genera 
tions  of  boys  and  girls,  was  a  long  row  of  horse- 
sheds,  where  the  farmers'  horses  enjoyed  such 
part  of  their  Sunday  rest  as  was  permitted  them 
after  bringing  heavy  loads  of  rural  parishioners 
to  their  public  devotions.  The  Sunday  church- 
going  was  by  no  means  so  carefully  observed  in 
these  days  as  in  former  ones,  when  disinclination 
was  anything  but  a  received  excuse.  In  Parson 
Leslie's  —  the  doctor's  grandfather's  —  day,  it 
would  have  condemned  a  man  or  woman  to  the 
well-merited  reproof  of  their  acquaintances.  And 
indeed  most  parishioners  felt  deprived  of  a  great 
pleasure  when,  after  a  week  of  separation  from 
society,  of  a  routine  of  prosaic  farm-work,  they 
were  prevented  from  seeing  their  friends  parade 
into  church,  from  hearing  the  psalm-singing  and 
the  sermon,  and  listening  to  the  news  afterward. 
It  was  like  going  to  mass  and  going  to  the  thea 
tre  and  the  opera,  and  making  a  round  of  short 


ACROSS  THE  STREET.  119 

calls,  and  having  an  outing  in  one's  own  best 
clothes  to  see  other  people's,  all  rolled  into  one ; 
beside  which,  there  was  (and  is)  a  superstitious 
expectation  of  good  luck  in  the  coming  week  if 
the  religious  obligations  were  carefully  fulfilled. 
So  many  of  the  old  ideas  of  the  efficacy  of  ecclesi- 
asticism  still  linger,  most  of  them  by  no  mean  3 
unlawfully.  The  elder  people  of  New  England 
are  as  glad  to  have  their  clergyman  visit  them  in 
their  last  days  as  if  he  granted  them  absolution 
and  extreme  unction.  The  old  traditions  survive 
in  our  instincts,  although  our  present  opinions 
have  long  since  ticketed  many  thoughts  and  de 
sires  and  customs  as  out  of  date  and  quite  ex 
ploded. 

We  go  so  far  in  our  vigorous  observance  of  the 
first  commandment,  and  our  fear  of  worshiping 
strange  gods,  that  sometimes  we  are  in  danger  of 
forgetting  that  we  must  worship  God  himself. 
And  worship  is  something  different  from  a  certain 
sort  of  constant  church-going,  or  from  even  trying 
to  be  conformers  and  to  keep  our  own  laws  and 
our  neighbors'. 

Because  an  old-fashioned  town  like  Oldfields 
grows  so  slowly  and  with  such  extreme  delibera 
tion,  is  the  very  reason  it  seems  to  have  such  a 
delightful  completeness  when  it  has  entered  fairly 
upon  its  maturity.  It  is  possessed  of  kindred  vir 
tues  to  a  winter  pear,  which  may  be  unattractive 
during  its  preparatory  stages,  but  which  takes 


120  A    COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

time  to  gather  from  the  ground  and  from  the  air 
a  pleasant  and  rewarding  individuality  and  sweet 
ness.  The  towns  which  are  built  in  a  hurry  can 
be  left  in  a  hurry  without  a  bit  of  regret,  and  if 
it  is  the  fate  or  fortune  of  the  elder  villages  to 
find  themselves  the  foundation  upon  which  modern 
manufacturing  communities  rear  their  thinly  built 
houses  and  workshops,  and  their  quickly  disin 
tegrating  communities  of  people,  the  weaknesses 
of  these  are  more  glaring  and  hopeless  in  the  con 
trast.  The  hurry  to  make  money  and  do  much 
work,  and  the  ambition  to  do  good  work,  war 
with  each  other,  but,  as  Longfellow  has  said,  the 
lie  is  the  hurrying  second-hand  of  the  clock,  and 
the  truth  the  slower  hand  that  waits  and  marks1 
the  hour.  The  New  England  that  built  itself 
houses  a  hundred  years  ago  was  far  less  oppressed 
by  competition  and  by  other  questions  with  which 
the  enormous  increase  of  population  is  worrying 
its  younger  citizens.  And  the  overgrown  Old- 
fields  that  increase  now,  street  by  street,  were 
built  then  a  single  steady  sound-timbered  house 
at  a  time,  and  all  the  neighbors  watched  them 
rise,  and  knew  where  the  planks  were  sawn,  and 
where  the  chimney  bricks  were  burnt. 

In  these  days  when  Anna  Prince  was  young 
and  had  lately  come  to  live  in  the  doctor's  square 
house,  with  the  three  peaked  windows  in  the  roof, 
and  the  tall  box  borders  and  lilac  bushes  in  its 
neat  front  yard,  Oldfields  was  just  beginning  to 
wake  from  a  fifty  years'  architectural  sleep,  and 


ACROSS  THE  STREET.  121 

rub  its  eyes,  and  see  what  was  thought  about  a 
smart  little  house  with  a  sharp  gabled  roof,  and 
much  scalloping  of  its  edges,  which  a  new  store 
keeper  had  seen  fit  to  build.  There  was  one  long 
street  which  had  plenty  of  room  on  either  side  for 
most  of  the  houses,  and  where  it  divided,  each  side 
of  the  First  Parish  Church,  it  became  the  East 
road  and  the  West  road,  and  the  rest  of  the  dwell 
ings  strayed  off  somewhat  undecidedly  toward  the 
world  beyond.  There  were  a  good  many  poplars 
in  the  front  yards,  though  their  former  proud 
ranks  were  broken  in  many  places,  so  that  sur 
viving  veterans  stood  on  guard  irregularly  before 
the  houses,  where  usually  one  or  two  members  of 
the  once  busy  households  were  also  left  alone. 
Many  of  the  people  who  lived  in  the  village 
had  outlying  land  and  were  farmers  of  it,  but  be 
side  the  doctor's  there  were  some  other  house 
holds  which  the  tland  supported  indirectly,  either 
through  professions  or  because  some  kind  ancestors 
had  laid  by  enough  money  for  his  children  and 
grandchildren.  The  ministers  were  both  excel 
lent  men  ;  but  Dr.  Leslie  was  the  only  man  who 
looked  far  ahead  or  saw  much  or  cared  much  foi 
true  success.  In  Titian's  great  Venetian  picture 
of  the  Presentation  of  the  Virgin,  while  the  little 
maiden  goes  soberly  up  the  steps  of  the  temple,  in 
the  busy  crowd  beneath  only  one  man  is  possessed 
by  the  thought  that  something  wonderful  is  hap 
pening,  and  lifts  his  head,  forgetting  the  buyers 
and  sellers  and  gossipers,  as  his  eyes  follow  the 


122  A    COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

sacred  sight.  Life  goes  on  everywhere  like  that 
fragment  of  it  in  the  picture,  but  while  the  man 
who  knows  more  than  his  fellows  can  be  found  in 
every  company,  and  sees  the  light  which  beckons 
him  on  to  the  higher  meanings  and  better  gifts, 
his  place  in  society  is  not  always  such  a  comfort 
able  and  honored  one  as  Dr.  Leslie's.  What  his 
friends  were  apt  to  call  his  notions  were  not  of 
such  aggressive  nature  that  he  was  accused  of 
outlawry,  and  he  was  apt  to  speak  his  mind  un- 
contradicted  and  undisturbed.  He  cared  little  for 
the  friction  and  attrition,  indeed  for  the  inspira 
tion,  which  one  is  sure  to  have  who  lives  among 
many  people,  and  which  are  so  dear  and  so  helpful 
to  most  of  us  who  fall  into  ruts  if  we  are  too  much 
alone.  He  loved  his  friends  and  his  books,  though 
he  understood  both  as  few  scholars  can,  and  he 
cared  little  for  social  pleasure,  though  Oldfields 
was,  like  all  places  of  its  size  and  dignity,  an 
epitome  of  the  world.  One  or  two  people  of  each 
class  and  rank  are  as  good  as  fifty,  and,  to  use  the 
saying  of  the  doctor's  friend,  old  Captain  Finch : 
"  Human  nature  is  the  same  the  world  over." 

Through  the  long  years  of  his  solitary  life,  and 
his  busy  days  as  a  country  practitioner,  he  had 
become  less  and  less  inclined  to  take  much  part  in 
what  feeble  efforts  the  rest  of  the  townspeople 
made  to  entertain  themselves.  He  was  more  apt 
to  loiter  along  the  street,  stopping  here  and  there 
to  talk  with  his  neighbors  at  their  gates  or  their 
front-yard  gardening,  and  not  infrequently  asked 


'ACROSS  THE  STREET.  123 

some  one  who  stood  in  need  of  such  friendliness 
to  take  a  drive  with  him  out  into  the  country. 
Nobody  was  grieved  at  remembering  that  he  was 
a  repository  of  many  secrets ;  he  was  a  friend  who 
could  be  trusted  always,  though  he  was  one  who 
had  been  by  no  means  slow  to  anger  or  unwill 
ing  at  times  to  administer  rebuke. 

One  Sunday  afternoon,  late  in  November,  while 
the  first  snow-storm  of  the  year  was  beginning, 
Dr.  Leslie  threw  down  a  stout  French  medical 
work  of  high  renown  as  if  it  had  failed  to  fulfil 
its  mission  of  being  instructive  first  and  interest 
ing  afterward.  He  rose  from  his  chair  and  stood 
looking  at  the  insulted  volume  as  if  he  had  a 
mind  to  apologize  and  try  again,  but  kept  his 
hands  behind  him  after  all.  It  was  thinly  dressed 
in  fluttering  paper  covers,  and  was  so  thick  and  so 
lightly  bound  that  it  had  a  tendency  to  divide  its 
material  substance  into  parts,  like  the  seventh- 
lies  and  eighthlies  of  an  old-fashioned  sermon. 
44  Those  fellows  must  be  in  league  with  the  book 
binders  over  here,"  grumbled  the  doctor.  "I 
must  send  word  to  that  man  in  New  York  to  have 
some  sort  of  cover  put  on  these  things  before  they 
come  down."  Then  he  lifted  the  book  again  and 
poised  it  on  one  hand,  looking  at  its  irregular 
edges,  and  reflecting  at  length  that  it  would  be 
in  much  better  condition  if  he  had  not  given  it 
a  careless  crushing  in  the  corner  of  his  carriage 
the  day  before.  It  had  been  sunshiny,  pleasant 


124  A    COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

weather,  and  he  had  taken  Nan  for  a  long  drive 
in  the  Saturday  half-holiday.  He  had  decided, 
before  starting,  that  she  should  manage  the  reins 
and  he  would  think  over  one  or  two  matters  and 
read  a  while  ;  it  had  been  a  great  convenience 
lately  that  Nan  understood  the  responsibility  of  a 
horse  and  carriage.  He  was  finding  her  a  more 
and  more  useful  little  companion.  However,  his 
studies  and  reflections  had  been  postponed  until 
some  other  time,  for  Nan  had  been  very  eager  to 
talk  about  some  of  her  lessons  in  which  it  seemed 
his  duty  to  take  an  interest.  The  child  seemed 
stronger  and  better  that  autumn  than  he  had  ever 
known  her,  and  her  mind  had  suddenly  fastened  it 
self  upon  certain  of  her  studies.  She  seemed  very 
quick  and  very  accurate,  the  doctor  thought,  and 
the  two  traits  do  not  always  associate  themselves. 

He  left  the  table  and  walked  quickly  to  the 
west  window,  and,  clasping  his  hands  behind  him, 
stood  looking  out  into  the  front  yard  and  the  street 
beyond.  The  ground  was  already  white  and  he 
gave  a  little  sigh,  for  winter  weather  is  rarely 
a  source  of  happiness  to  a  doctor,  although  this 
member  of  the  profession  was  not  made  alto 
gether  sorrowful  by  it.  He  sometimes  keenly 
enjoyed  a  hard  tramp  of  a  mile  or  two  when  the 
roads  were  so  blocked  and  the  snow  so  blinding 
that  he  left  his  horse  in  some  sheltering  barn  on 
his  way  to  an  impatient  sufferer. 

A  little  way  down  the  street  on  the  other  side 
was  a  house  much  like  his  own,  with  a  row  of  tali 


ACROSS   THE  STREET.  125 

hemlocks  beside  it,  and  a  front  fence  higher  and 
more  imposing  than  his,  with  great  posts  at  the 
gateway,  which  held  slender  urns  aloft  with  fu 
nereal  solemnity.  The  doctor's  eyesight  was  not 
far  from  perfect,  and  he  looked  earnestly  at  the 
windows  of  one  of  the  lower  rooms  and  saw  a 
familiar  sight  enough  ;  his  neighbor  Mrs.  Gra 
ham's  face  in  its  accustomed  quarter  of  the  sash. 
Dr.  Leslie  half  smiled  as  the  thought  struck 
him  that  she  always  sat  so  exactly  in  the  same 
place  that  her  white  cap  was  to  be  seen  through 
the  same  lower  window-pane.  "  Most  people 
would  have  moved  their  chairs  about  until  they 
wore  holes  in  the  floor."  he  told  himself,  and  then 
remembered  how  many  times  he  had  gone  to  look 
over  at  his  placid  friend,  in  her  favorite  after 
noon  post  of  observation.  He  was  strongly  at 
tached  to  her,  and  he  reminded  himself  that  she 
was  growing  old  and  that  he  must  try  to  see  her 
oftener.  He  valued  her  companionship,  more  be 
cause  he  knew  it  was  always  ready  for  him,  than 
because  he  always  availed  himself  of  it,  but  the 
serise  of  mutual  dependence  made  them  very  famil 
iar  to  each  other  when  they  did  meet  and  had  time 
for  a  bit  of  quiet  talk. 

Dr.  Leslie  suddenly  turned ;  he  had  watched 
long  enough  to  make  sure  that  Mrs.  Graham  was 
alone ;  her  head  had  not  moved  for  many  minutes ; 
and  at  first  he  was  going  out  of  the  front  door, 
from  some  instinct  he  would  hardly  have  been 
willing  to  acknowledge,  but  he  resolutely  turned 


126  A    COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

and  went  out  to  the  dining-room,  to  tell  Manila, 
after  his  usual  professional  custom  of  giving 
notice  of  his  whereabouts,  that  he  was  going  to 
Mrs.  Graham's.  A  prompt  inquiry  came  from 
the  kitchen  to  know  if  anything  ailed  her,  to 
which  the  doctor  returned  a  scornful  negative  and 
escaped  through  the  side-door  which  gave  entrance 
both  to  the  study  and  the  dining-room.  There 
was  the  usual  service  at  Manila's  meeting-house, 
but  she  had  not  ventured  out  to  attend  it,  giving 
the  weather  and  a  grumbling  toothache  for  her 
reasons,  though  she  concealed  the  fact  that  the 
faithless  town  milliner  had  disappointed  her 
about  finishing  her  winter  bonnet.  Marilla  had 
begun  life  with  certain  opinions  which  she  had 
never  changed,  though  time  and  occasion  had  les 
sened  the  value  of  some  of  them.  She  liked  to 
count  herself  among  those  who  are  persecuted  for 
conscience's  sake,  and  was  immensely  fond  of  an 
argument  and  of  having  it  known  that  she  was  a 
dissenter  from  the  First  Parish  Church. 

Mrs.  Graham  looked  up  with  surprise  from  her 
book  to  see  the  doctor  coming  in  from  the  street, 
and,  being  helplessly  lame,  sat  still,  and  put  out 
her  hand  to  greet  him,  with  a  very  pleased  look 
on  her  face.  "  Is  there  anything  the  matter  with 
me  ?  "  she  asked.  "  I  have  begun  to  think  you 
don't  care  to  associate  with  well  people  ;  you  don't 
usually  go  to  church  in  the  afternoon  either,  so  you 
have  n't  taken  refuge  here  because  Mr.  Talcot  is 
ill.  I  must  say  that  I  missed  hearing  the  bell ;  I 


ACROSS   THE  STREET.  127 

shall  lose  myself  altogether  by  the  middle  of  the 
week.  One  must  have  some  landmarks." 

"  Marilla  complained  yesterday  that  she  was  all 
at  sea  because  her  apple  pies  gave  out  a  day  too 
soon.  She  put  the  bread  to  rise  the  wrong  niglit, 
and  everything  went  wrong  about  the  sweeping. 
It  has  been  a  week  of  great  domestic  calamity 
with  us,  but  Nan  confided  to  me  this  morning  that 
there  was  some  trouble  with  our  bonnet  into  the 
bargain.  I  had  forgotten  it  was  time  for  that," 
said  the  doctor,  laughing.  "  We  always  have  a 
season  of  great  anxiety  and  disaster  until  the  bon 
net  question  is  settled.  I  keep  out  of  the  way  as 
much  as  I  can.  Once  I  tried  to  be  amusing,  and 
said  it  was  a  pity  the  women  did  not  follow  their, 
grandmothers'  fashion  and  make  a  good  Leghorn 
structure  last  ten  years  and  have  no  more  trouble 
about  it ;  but  I  was  assured  that  there  was  n't  a 
milliner  now  living  who  could  set  such  an  arrange 
ment  going." 

"  Manila's  taste  is  not  what  one  might  call 
commonplace,"  said  Mrs.  Graham,  with  a  smile. 
"  I  think  her  summer  head-covering  was  a  little 
the  most  remarkable  we  have  had  yet.  She 
dresses  so  decently  otherwise,  good  soul !  " 

"  It  was  astonishing,"  said  the  doctor  gravely, 
as  lie  stood  before  the  fire  thinking  how  pleasant 
the  room  looked  ;  almost  as  familiar  as  his  own 
study,  with  its  heavy  mahogany  furniture  and  two 
old  portraits  and  few  quaint  ornaments.  Mrs. 
Graham's  geraniums  were  all  flourishing  and 


128  A   COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

green  and  even  in  bloom,  unlike  most  treasures  oi 
their  kind.  There  was  a  modern  element  in  the 
room  also,  —  some  pretty  cushions  and  other  bits 
of  embroidery;  for  Mrs.  Graham  had  some  grand 
children  who  were  city  born  and  bred,  and  who 
made  little  offerings  to  her  from  time  to  time. 
On  the  table  near  her  and  between  the  front  win 
dows  were  many  new  books  and  magazines,  and 
though  the  two  neighbors  kept  up  a  regular  sys 
tem  of  exchange,  the  doctor  went  nearer  to  see 
what  might  be  found.  There  were  a  few  minutes 
of  silence,  and  he  became  conscious  that  Mrs. 
Graham  was  making  up  her  mind  to  say  some 
thing,  but  when  she  spoke  it  was  only  to  ask  if 
there  were  anything  serious  the  matter  with  the 
minister. 

44  Oh,  no,"  said  the  doctor,  "  he  's  a  dyspeptic, 
nervous  soul,  too  conscientious  !  and  when  the 
time  arrives  for  the  sacrifice  of  pigs,  and  his 
whole  admiring  parish  vie  with  each  other  to  offer 
spare-ribs  on  that  shrine,  it  goes  hard  with  the 
poor  man." 

This  was  worth  hearing,  but  Mrs.  Graham  was 
a  little  sorry  that  she  had  let  such  a  good  chance 
go  by  for  saying  something  that  was  near  her 
heart,  so  presently  she  added,  "I  am  sorry  that 
poor  Manila  has  n't  a  better  gift  at  personal  dec 
oration.  It  seems  a  pity  to  let  her  disfigure  that 
pretty  child  with  such  structures  in  the  way  of 
head-gear.  I  was  so  glad  when  that  abominable 
great  summer  hat  was  laid  by  for  the  season.'* 


ACROSS  THE  STREET.  129 

"It  was  pretty  bad,"  the  doctor  agreed,  in  a 
provokingly  indifferent  tone,  whereupon  Mrs. 
Graham's  interest  was  rekindled,  and  saying  to 
herself  that  the  poor  man  did  not  know  the  dan 
ger  and  foolishness  of  such  carelessness,  she  ven 
tured  another  comment. 

"  So  much  depends  upon  giving  a  child's  taste 
the  right  direction." 

Dr.  Leslie  had  taken  up  a  magazine,  and  seemed 
to  have  found  something  that  pleased  him,  but 
he  at  once  laid  it  down  and  glanced  once  or 
twice  at  his  hostess,  as  if  he  hoped  for  future 
instructions.  "  You  see  I  don't  know  anything 
about  it,  and  Nan  does  n't  think  of  her  clothes  at 
all,  so  far  as  I  can  tell,  and  so  poor  Marilla  has  to 
do  the  best  she  can,"  he  said  mildly. 

"  Oh  dear,  yes,"  answered  Mrs.  Graham,  not 
without  impatience.  "  But  the  child's  appear 
ance  is  of  some  importance,  and  since  a  dollar  or 
two  does  n't  make  any  difference  to  you,  she 
should  be  made  to  look  like  the  little  lady  that 
she  is.  Dear  old  Mrs.  Thacher  would  turn  in  her 
grave,  for  she  certainly  had  a  simple  good  taste 
that  was  better  than  this.  Marilla  became  the 
easy  prey  of  that  foolish  little  woman  who  makes 
bonnets  on  the  East  road.  She  has  done  more  to 
deprave  the  ideas  of  our  townspeople  than  one 
would  believe,  and  they  tell  you  with  such  pleas 
ure  that  she  used  to  work  in  New  York,  as  if  that 
settled  the  question.  It  is  a  comfort  to  see  old 
Sally  Turner  and  Miss  Betsy  Milman  go  by  in 


130  A   COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

their  decent  dark  silk  bonnets  that  good  Susan 
Martin  made  for  them.  If  I  could  go  out  to 
morrow  T  believe  I  would  rather  hunt  for  a  very 
large  velvet  specimen  of  her  work,  which  is  some 
where  upstairs  in  a  big  bandbox,  than  trust  my 
self  to  these  ignorant  hands.  It  is  a  great  misfor 
tune  to  a  town  if  it  has  been  disappointed  in  its 
milliner.  You  are  quite  at  her  mercy,  and,  worse 
than  all,  liable  to  entire  social  misapprehension 
when  you  venture  far  from  home." 

"  So  bonnets  are  not  a  question  of  free  will  and 
individual  responsibility  ?  "  asked  the  doctor  so 
berly.  "  I  must  say  that  I  have  wondered  some 
times  if  the  women  do  not  draw  lots  for  them. 
But  what  shall  I  do  about  the  little  girl  ?  I  am 
afraid  I  do  her  great  injustice  in  trying  to  bring 
her  up  at  all  —  it  needs  a  woman's  eye." 

"Your  eye  is  just  as  good  as  anybody's,"  re 
sponded  Mrs.  Graham  quickly,  lest  the  doctor 
should  drift  into  sad  thought  about  his  young 
wife  who  had  been  so  long  dead  and  yet  seemed 
always  a  nearer  and  dearer  living  presence  to 
him.  He  was  apt  to  say  a  word  or  two  about 
her  and  not  answer  the  next  question  which  was 
put  to  him,  and  presently  go  silently  away,  —  but 
to-day  Mrs.  Graham  had  important  business  in 
hand. 

"  My  daughter  will  be  here  next  week,"  she 
observed,  presently,  "and  I'm  sure  that  she  will 
do  any  shopping  for  you  in  Boston  with  great 
pleasure.  We  might  forestall  Manila's  plans. 


ACROSS   THE  STREET.  131 

You  could  easily  say  when  you  go  home  that  you 
have  spoken  to  me  about  it.  I  think  it  would  be 
an  excellent  opportunity  now,  while  the  East 
Road  establishment  is  in  disfavor,"  and  when  the 
doctor  smiled  and  nodded,  his  friend  and  hostess 
settled  herself  comfortably  in  her  chair,  and  felt 
that  she  had  gained  a  point. 

The  sunshine  itself  could  hardly  have  made 
that  south  parlor  look  pleasanter.  There  was  a 
log  in  the  fire  that  was  wet,  and  singing  gently 
to  itself,  as  if  the  sound  of  the  summer  rustlings 
and  chirpings  had  somehow  been  stored  away  in 
its  sap,  and  above  it  were  some  pieces  of  drier 
white  birch,  which  were  sending  up  a  yellow  con 
flagration  to  keep  the  marauding  snow-flakes 
from  coining  down  the  chimney.  The  geraniums 
looked  brighter  than  by  daylight,  and  seemed  to 
hold  their  leaves  toward  the  fireplace  as  if  they 
were  hands ;  and  were  even  leaning  out  a  little 
way  themselves  and  lifting  their  blossoms  like 
torches,  as  if  they  were  a  reserve  force,  a  little 
garrison  of  weaker  soldiers  who  were  also  enemies 
of  the  cold.  The  gray  twilight  was  gathering  out 
of  doors  ;  the  trees  looked  naked  and  defenceless, 
as  one  saw  them  through  the  windows.  Mrs. 
Graham  tapped  the  arms  of  her  chair  gently  with 
the  tips  of  her  fingers,  and  in  a  few  minutes  the 
doctor  closed  the  book  he  was  looking  over  and 
announced  that  the  days  were  growing  very  short. 
There  was  something  singularly  pleasant  to  both 
the  friends  in  their  quiet  Sunday  afternoon  com- 
panionship. 


132  A    COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

"  You  used  to  pay  me  a  Sunday  visit  every 
week,"  said  the  old  lady,  pleased  to  find  that  her 
guest  still  lingered.  "  I  don't  know  why,  but  I 
always  have  a  hope  that  you  will  find  time  to  run 
over  for  half  an  hour.  I  said  to  myself  yesterday 
that  a  figure  of  me  in  wax  would  do  just  as  well 
as  anything  nowadays.  I  get  up  and  dress  my 
self,  and  make  the  journey  down-stairs,  and  sit 
here  at  the  window  and  have  my  dinner  and  go 
through  the  same  round  day  after  day.  If  it 
were  n't  for  a  certain  amount  of  expense  it  incurs, 
and  occupation  to  other  people,  I  think  it  would 
be  of  very  little  use.  However,  there  are  some 
people  still  left  who  need  me.  Who  is  it  says  — 
Be*ranger  perhaps  —  that  to  love  benefits  one's  self, 
and  to  inspire  love  benefits  others.  I  like  to  think 
that  the  children  and  grandchildren  have  the  old 
place  to  think  of  and  come  back  to.  I  can  see 
that  it  is  a  great  bond  between  them  all,  and  that 
is  very  good.  I  begin  to  feel  like  a  very  old 
woman ;  it  would  be  quite  different,  you  know, 
if  I  were  active  and  busy  out  of  doors,  and  the 
bustling  sort  of  person  for  which  nature  intended 
me.  As  it  is,  my  mind  is  bustling  enough  for  it 
self  and  its  body  both." 

"Well,"  said  the  doctor,  laughing  a  little, 
"  what  is  it  now  ?  " 

44  The  little  girl,"  answered  Mrs.  Graham, 
gravely.  "I  think  it  is  quite  time  she  knew 
something  of  society.  Don't  tell  yourself  that 
I  am  notional  and  frivolous;  I  know  you  have 


ACROSS  THE  STREET.  132 

put  a  great  deal  of  hope  and  faith  and  affection 
into  that  child's  career.  It  would  disappoint  you 
dreadfully  if  she  were  not  interesting  and  harmoni 
ous  to  people  in  general.  It  seems  a  familiar  fact 
now  that  she  should  have  come  to  live  with  you, 
that  she  should  be  growing  up  in  your  house ;  but 
the  first  thing  we  know  she  will  be  a  young  lady 
instead  of  an  amusing  child,  and  I  think  that  you 
cannot  help  seeing  that  a  great  deal  of  responsi 
bility  belongs  to  you.  She  must  be  equipped  and 
provisioned  for  the  voyage  of  life ;  she  must  have 
some  resources." 

"But  I  think  she  has  more  than  most  chil 
dren." 

"  Yes,  yes,  I  dare  say.  She  is  a  bright  little 
creature,  but  her  brightness  begins  to  need  new 
things  to  work  upon.  She  does  very  well  at 
school  now,  I  hear,  and  she  minds  very  well  and 
is  much  less  lawless  than  she  used  to  be ;  but  she 
is  like  a  candle  that  refuses  to  burn,  and  is  satis 
fied  with  admiring  its  candlestick.  She  is  quite 
the  queen  of  the  village  children  in  one  way,  and 
in  another  she  is  quite  apart  from  them.  I  be 
lieve  they  envy  her  and  look  upon  her  as  being  of 
another  sort,  and  yet  count  her  out  of  half  their 
plans  and  pleasures,  and  she  runs  home,  not 
knowing  whether  to  be  pleased  or  hurt,  and  pulls 
down  half  a  dozen  of  your  books  and  sits  proudly 
at  the  window.  Her  poor  foolish  mother  had 
some  gifts,  but  she  went  adrift  very  soon,  and  I 
should  teach  Nan  her  duty  to  her  neighbor,  and 


134  A   COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

make  her  take  in  the  idea  that  she  owes  some 
thing  to  the  world  beside  following  out  her  own 
most  satisfying  plans.  When  I  was  a  young 
woman  it  was  a  most  blessed  discovery  to  me  — 
though  I  was  not  any  quicker  at  making  it  than 
other  people,  perhaps,  — that,  beside  being  happy 
myself  and  valuable  to  myself,  I  must  fit  myself 
into  my  place  in  society.  We  are  seldom  left  to 
work  alone,  you  know.  No,  not  even  you.  I 
know  too  much  about  you  to  believe  that.  And 
it  is  n't  enough  that  we  are  willing  to  talk  about 
ourselves.  We  must  learn  to  understand  the  sub 
jects  of  the  day  that  everybody  talks  about,  and 
to  make  sure  of  a  right  to  stand  upon  the  highest 
common  ground  wherever  we  are.  Society  is  a 
sort  of  close  corporation,  and  we  must  know  its 
watchwords,  and  keep  an  interest  in  its  interests 
and  affairs.  I  call  a  gentleman  the  man  who, 
either  by  birth  or  by  nature,  belongs  to  the  best 
society.  There  may  be  bad  gentlemen  and  good 
gentlemen,  but  one  must  feel  instinctively  at 
home  with  a  certain  class,  representatives  of 
which  are  likely  to  be  found  everywhere. 

"  And  as  for  Nan,  you  will  be  disappointed  if 
she  does  not  understand  a  little  later  your  own 
way  of  looking  at  things.  She  mustn't  grow  up 
full  of  whims  and  indifferences.  I  am  too  fond  of 
you  to  look  forward  calmly  to  your  being  disap 
pointed,  and  I  do  believe  she  will  be  a  most  lovely, 
daughterly,  friendly  girl,  who  will  keep  you  from 
being  lonely  as  you  grow  older,  and  be  a  great 


ACROSS  THE  STREET.  135 

blessing  in  every  way.  Yet  she  has  a  strange  his 
tory,  and  is  in  a  strange  position.  I  hope  you  will 
find  a  good  school  for  her  before  very  long." 

This  was  said  after  a  moment's  pause,  and  with 
considerable  hesitation,  and  Mrs.  Graham  was 
grateful  for  the  gathering  darkness  which  shel 
tered  her,  and  not  a  little  surprised  at  the  doctor's 
answer. 

"  I  have  been  thinking  of  that,"  he  said  quickly, 
"but  it  is  a  great  puzzle  at  present  and  I  am 
thankful  to  say,  I  think  it  is  quite  safe  to  wait  a 
year  or  two  yet.  You  and  I  live  so  much  apart 
from  society  that  we  idealize  it  a  good  deal,  though 
you  are  a  stray-away  bit  of  it.  We  too  seldom 
see  the  ideal  gentleman  or  lady ;  we  have  to  be 
contented  with  keeping  the  ideal  in  our  minds,  it 
seems  to  me,  and  saying  that  this  man  is  gentle 
manly,  and  that  woman  ladylike.  But  I  do  be 
lieve  in  aiming  at  the  best  things,  and  turning 
this  young  creature's  good  instincts  and  uncom 
mon  powers  into  the  proper  channels  instead  of 
\etting  her  become  singular  and  self-centred  be 
cause  she  does  not  know  enough  of  people  of  her 
own  sort." 

Mrs.  Graham  gave  a  little  sound  of  approval 
that  did  not  stand  for  any  word  in  particular :  "  I 
wonder  if  her  father's  people  will  ever  make  any 
claim  to  her  ?  She  said  something  about  her  aunt 
one  day  ;  I  think  it  was  to  hear  whatever  I  might 
answer.  It  seemed  to  me  that  the  poor  child  had 
more  pleasure  in  this  unknown  possession  than 


136  A    COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

was  worth  while ;  she  appeared  to  think  of  her  as 
a  sort  of  fairy  godmother  who  might  descend  in 
Oldfields  at  any  moment." 

"  I  did  not  know  she  thought  of  her  at  all,"  an 
nounced  the  doctor,  somewhat  dismayed.  "  She 
never  has  talked  about  her  aunt  to  me.  I  dare  say 
that  she  has  been  entertained  with  the  whole  mis 
erable  story." 

"  Oh,  no,"  answered  Mrs.  Graham,  placidly. 
"  I  don't  think  that  is  likely,  but  it  is  quite  reason, 
able  that  the  child  should  be  aware  of  some  part 
of  it  by  this  time.  The  Dyer  neighbors  are  far 
from  being  reticent,  good  creatures,  and  they  have 
little  to  remember  that  approaches  the  interest 
and  excitement  of  that  time.  Do  you  know  any 
thing  about  Miss  Prince  nowadays  ?  I  have  not 
heard  anything  of  her  in  a  long  while." 

"  She  still  sends  the  yearly  remittance,  which 
I  acknowledge  and  put  into  the  savings  bank  as 
I  always  have  done.  When  Nan  came  to  me  I 
advised  Miss  Prince  that  I  wished  to  assume  all 
care  of  her  and  should  be  glad  if  she  would  give 
me  entire  right  to  the  child,  but  she  took  no  notice 
of  the  request.  It  really  makes  no  practical  dif 
ference.  Only,"  and  the  doctor  became  much  em 
barrassed,  "  I  must  confess  that  I  have  a  notion 
of  letting  her  study  medicine  by  and  by  if  she 
shows  a  fitness  for  it." 

"  Dear,  dear  !  "  said  the  hostess,  leaning  forward 
BO  suddenly  that  she  knocked  two  or  three  books 
from  the  corner  of  the  table,  and  feeling  very 


ACROSS  THE  STREET.  137 

much  excited.  "  John  Leslie,  I  can't  believe  it ! 
but  my  dear  man  used  to  say  you  thought  twice 
for  everybody  else's  once.  What  can  have  decided 
you  upon  such  a  plan  ?  " 

"  How  happened  the  judge  to  say  that  ?  "  asked 
the  doctor,  trying  to  scoff,  but  not  a  little  pleased. 
"  I  'm  sure  I  can't  tell  you,  Mrs.  Graham,  only  the 
idea  has  grown  of  itself  in  my  mind,  as  all  right 
ideas  do,  and  everything  that  I  can  see  seems  to 
favor  it.  You  may  think  that  it  is  too  early  to 
decide,  but  I  see  plainly  that  Nan  is  not  the  sort 
of  girl  who  will  be  likely  to  marry.  When  a  man 
or  woman  has  that  sort  of  self-dependence  and 
unnatural  self-reliance,  it  shows  itself  very  early. 
I  believe  that  it  is  a  mistake  for  such  a  woman  to 
marry.  Nan's  feeling  toward  her  boy -play  mates 
is  exactly  the  same  as  toward  the  girls  she  knows. 
You  have  only  to  look  at  the  rest  of  the  children 
together  to  see  the  difference  ;  and  if  I  make  sure 
by  and  by,  the  law  of  her  nature  is  that  she  must 
live  alone  and  work  alone,  I  shall  help  her  to  keep 
it  instead  of  break  it,  by  providing  something  else 
than  the  business  of  housekeeping  and  what  is 
called  a  woman's  natural  work,  for  her  activity 
and  capacity  to  spend  itself  upon." 

"  But  don't  you  think  that  a  married  life  is  hap- 
piest  ?  "  urged  the  listener,  a  good  deal  shocked 
"at  such  treason,  yet  somewhat  persuaded  by  its 
truth. 

"Yes,"  said  Dr.  Leslie,  sadly.  "Yes  indeed, 
for  most  of  us.  We  could  say  almost  everything 


138  A    COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

for  that  side,  you  and  I ;  but  a  rule  is  sometimes 
very  cruel  for  its  exceptions ;  and  there  is  a  life 
now  and  then  which  is  persuaded  to  put  itself  in 
irons  by  the  force  of  custom  and  circumstances, 
and  from  the  lack  of  bringing  reason  to  bear  upon 
the  solving  of  the  most  important  question  of  its 
existence.  Of  course  I  don't  feel  sure  yet  that  I 
am  right  about  Nan,  but  looking  at  her  sad  inher 
itance  from  her  mother,  and  her  good  inheritances 
from  other  quarters,  I  cannot  help  feeling  that  she 
might  be  far  more  unhappy  than  to  be  made  ready 
to  take  up  my  work  here  in  Oldfields  when  I  have 
to  lay  it  down.  She  will  need  a  good  anchor  now 
and  then.  Only  this  summer  she  had  a  bad  day 
of  it  that  made  me  feel  at  my  wits'  end.  She  was 
angry  with  one  of  the  children  at  school,  and  af 
terward  with  Marilla  because  she  scolded  her  for 
not  keeping  better  account  of  the  family  times  and 
seasons,  and  ran  away  in  the  afternoon,  if  you 
please,  and  was  not  heard  from  until  next  morn 
ing  at  breakfast  time.  She  went  to  the  old  place 
and  wandered  about  the  fields  as  she  used,  and 
crept  into  some  shelter  or  other.  I  dare  say  that 
she  climbed  in  at  one  of  the  windows  of  the 
house,  though  I  could  not  make  quite  sure  with 
out  asking  more  questions  than  I  thought  worth 
while.  She  came  stealing  in  early  in  the  morn 
ing,  looking  a  little  pale  and  wild,  but  she  hasn't 
played  such  a  prank  since.  I  had  a  call  to  the 
next  town  and  Marilla  had  evidently  been  awake 
all  night.  I  got  home  early  in  the  morning  my- 


ACROSS  THE  STREET.  139 

self,  and  was  told  that  it  was  supposed  I  had 
picked  up  Nan  on  the  road  and  carried  her  with 
me,  so  the  blame  was  all  ready  for  my  shoulders 
unless  we  had  both  happened  to  see  the  young 
culprit  strolling  in  at  the  gate.  I  was  glad  she 
had  punished  herself,  so  that  there  was  no  need 
of  my  doing  it,  though  I  had  a  talk  with  her  a 
day  or  two  afterward,  when  we  were  both  in  our 
right  minds.  She  is  a  good  child  enough." 

"I  dare  say,"  remarked  Mrs.  Graham  drily, 
*'  but  it  seems  to  me  that  neither  of  you  took  Ma- 
rilla  sufficiently  into  account.  That  must  have 
been  the  evening  that  the  poor  soul  went  to  nearly 
every  house  in  town  to  ask  if  there  were  any  stray 
company  to  tea.  Some  of  us  could  not  help  won 
dering  where  the  young  person  was  finally  dis 
covered.  She  has  a  great  fancy  for  the  society  of 
Miss  Betsy  Milman  and  Sally  Turner  at  present, 
and  I  quite  sympathize  with  her.  I  often  look 
over  there  and  see  the  end  of  their  house  with 
that  one  little  square  window  in  the  very  peak 
of  it  spying  up  the  street,  and  wish  I  could  pay 
them  a  visit  myself  and  hear  a  bit  of  their  wise 
gossip.  I  quite  envy  Nan  her  chance  of  going 
in  and  being  half  forgotten  as  she  sits  in  one  of 
their  short  chairs  listening  and  watching.  They 
used  to  be  great  friends  of  her  grandmother's.  Oh 
no ;  if  I  could  go  to  see  them  they  would  insist 
upon  my  going  into  the  best  room,  and  we  should 
all  be  quite  uncomfortable.  It  is  much  better  to 
sit  here  and  think  about  them  and  hear  their 


140  A   COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

flat-irons  creak  away  over  the  little  boys'  jackets 
and  trousers." 

"  I  must  confess  that  I  have  my  own  clothes 
mended  there  to  this  day,"  said  the  doctor.  "  Marilla 
says  their  mending  is  not  what  it  used  to  be,  too, 
but  it  is  quite  good  enough.  As  for  that  little  win 
dow,  I  hardly  ever  see  it  without  remembering  the 
day  of  your  aunt  Margaret's  funeral.  I  was  only 
a  boy  and  not  deeply  afflicted,  but  of  course  I  had 
my  place  in  the  procession  and  was  counted  among 
the  mourners,  and  as  we  passed  the  Milman  place 
I  saw  the  old  lady's  face  up  there  just  filling  the 
four  small  panes.  You  know  she  was  almost  help 
less,  and  how  she  had  got  up  into  the  little  garret  I 
cannot  imagine,  but  she  was  evidently  determined 
to  inspect  the  procession  as  it  went  down  the  bury- 
ing-ground  lane.  It  was  a  pity  they  did  not  cut  the 
window  beneath  it  in  the  lower  room  in  her  day. 
You  know  what  an  odd  face  she  had  ;  I  suppose 
it  was  distorted  by  disease  and  out  of  all  shape  it 
ever  knew ;  but  I  can  see  it  now,  framed  in  with 
its  cap  border  and  the  window  as  if  there  were 
no  more  of  her." 

"  She  really  was  the  most  curious  old  creature ; 
it  more  than  accounts  for  Mrs.  Turner's  and  Miss 
Betsy's  love  for  a  piece  of  news,"  said  Mrs.  Gra 
ham,  who  was  much  amused.  "  But  I  wish  we  un 
derstood  the  value  of  these  old  news-loving  people. 
So  much  local  history  and  tradition  must  die 
with  every  one  of  them  if  we  take  no  pains  to 
save  it.  I  hope  you  are  wise  about  getting  hold 


ACROSS   THE  STREET.  141 

of  as  much  as  possible.  You  doctors  ought  to  be 
our  historians,  for  you  alone  see  the  old  country 
folks  familiarly  and  can  talk  with  them  without 
restraint." 

"  But  we  have  n't  time  to  do  any  writing,'*  the 
guest  replied.  "  That  is  why  our  books  amount 
to  so  little  for  the  most  part.  The  active  men, 
who  are  really  to  be  depended  upon  as  practi 
tioners,  are  kept  so  busy  that  they  are  too  tired 
to  use  the  separate  gift  for  writing,  even  if  they 
possess  it,  which  many  do  not.  And  the  liter 
ary  doctors,  the  medical  scholars,  are  a  different 
class,  who  have  not  had  the  experience  which 
alone  can  make  their  advice  reliable.  I  mean 
of  course  in  practical  matters,  not  anatomy  and 
physiology.  But  we  have  to  work  our  way  and 
depend  upon  ourselves,  we  country  doctors,  to 
whom  a  consultation  is  more  or  less  a  downfall  of 
pride.  Whenever  I  hear  that  an  old  doctor  is  dead 
I  sigh  to  think  what  treasures  of  wisdom  are  lost 
instead  of  being  added  to  the  general  fund.  That 
was  one  advantage  of  putting  the  young  men  with 
the  elder  practitioners ;  many  valuable  suggestions 
were  handed  down  in  that  way." 

"  I  am  very  well  contented  with  my  doctor," 
said  Mrs.  Graham,  with  enthusiasm,  at  this  first 
convenient  opportunity.  "  And  it  is  very  wise 
of  you  all  to  keep  up  our  confidence  in  the  face 
of  such  facts  as- these.  You  can  hardly  have  the 
heart  to  scold  any  more  about  the  malpractice  of 
patients  when  we  believe  in  you  so  humbly  and 


142  A    COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

so  ignorantly.  You  are  always  safe  though,  for 
our  consciences  are  usually  smarting  under  the 
remembrance  of  some  transgression  which  might 
have  hindered  you  if  it  did  not.  Poor  human 
ity,"  she  added  in  a  tone  of  compassion.  "  It  has 
to  grope  its  way  through  a  deal  of  darkness." 

The  doctor  sighed,  but  he  was  uncommonly 
restful  and  comfortable  in  the  large  arm-chair  be 
fore  the  fender.  It  was  quite  dark  out  of  doors 
now,  and  the  fire  gave  all  the  light  that  was  in 
the  room.  Presently  he  roused  himself  a  little 
to  say  "  '  Poor  humanity,'  indeed  !  And  I  sup 
pose  nobody  sees  the  failures  and  miseries  as 
members  of  my  profession  do.  There  will  be 
.more  and  more  sorrow  and  defeat  as  the  popu 
lation  increases  and  competition  with  it.  It  seems 
to  me  that  to  excel  in  one's  work  becomes  more 
and  more  a  secondary  motive  ;  to  do  a  great  deal 
and  be  well  paid  for  it  ranks  first.  One  feels  the 
injury  of  such  purposes  even  in  Oldfields." 

"  I  cannot  see  that  the  world  changes  much. 
I  often  wish  that  I  could,  though  surely  not  in 
this  way,"  said  the  lame  woman  from  her  seat  by 
the  window,  as  the  doctor  rose  to'go  away.  "I 
find  my  days  piteously  alike,  and  you  do  not 
know  what  a  pleasure  this  talk  has  been.  It  satis 
fies  my  hungry  mind  and  gives  rne  a,  great  deal 
to  think  of ;  you  would  not  believe  what  an  ap 
petite  I  had.  Oh,  don't  think  I  need  any  excuses, 
it  is  a  great  pleasure  to  see  you  drive  in  and  out 
of  the  gate,  and  I  like  to  see  your  lamp  coming  in* 


ACROSS  THE  STREET.  143 

to  the  study,  and  to  know  that  you  are  there  and 
fond  of  me.  But  winter  looked  very  long  and 
life  very  short  before  you  came  in  this  afternoon. 
1  suppose  you  have  had  enough  of  society  for  one 
day,  so  I  shall  not  tell  you  what  I  mean  to  have 
for  tea,  but  next  Sunday  night  I  shall  expect  you 
to  come  and  bring  your  ward.  Will  you  please 
ring,  so  that  Martha  will  bring  the  lights  ?  I 
should  like  to  send  Nan  a  nice  letter  to  read  which 
came  yesterday  from  my  little  grand-daughter  in 
Rome.  I  shall  be  so  glad  when  they  are  all  at 
home  again.  She  is  about  Nan's  age,  you  know; 
I  must  see  to  it  that  they  make  friends  with  each 
other.  Don't  put  me  on  a  dusty  top  shelf  again 
and  forget  me  for  five  or  six  weeks,"  laughed  the 
hostess,  as  her  guest  protested  and  lingered  a  min 
ute  still  before  he  opened  the  door. 

"  You  won't  say  anything  of  my  confidences  ?  " 
at  which  Mrs.  Graham  shakes  her  head  with  satis 
factory  gravity,  though  if  Doctor  Leslie  had 
known  she  was  inwardly  much  amused,  and  as 
sured  herself  directly  that  she  hoped  to  hear  no 
more  of  such  plans ;  how  could  he  tell  that  the 
girl  herself  would  agree  to  them,  and  whether 
Oldfields  itself  would  favor  Nan  as  his  own  suc 
cessor  and  its  medical  adviser?  But  John  Leslie 
was  a  wise,  far-seeing  man,  with  a  great  power  of 
holding  to  his  projects.  He  really  must  be  kept 
to  his  promise  of  a  weekly  visit ;  she  was  of  some 
use  in  the  world  after  all,  so  long  as  the.ie  un 
protected  neighbors  were  in  it,  and  at  any  rate 


144  A    COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

she  had  gained  her  point  about  the  poor  child's 
clothes. 

As  for  the  doctor,  he  found  the  outer  world  much 
obscured  by  the  storm,  and  hoped  that  nobody 
would  need  his  services  that  night,  as  he  went 
stumbling  home  through  the  damp  and  clogging 
snow  underfoot.  He  felt  a  strange  pleasure  in 
the  sight  of  a  small,  round  head  at  the  front  study 
window  between  the  glass  and  the  curtain,  and 
Nan  came  to  open  the  door  for  him,  while  Ma- 
rilla,  whose  unwonted  Sunday  afternoon  leisure 
seemed  to  have  been  devoted  to  fragrant  experi 
ments  in  cookery,  called  in  pleased  tones  from 
the  dining-room  that  she  had  begun  to  be  afraid 
he  was  going  to  stay  out  to  supper.  It  was  some 
how  much  more  homelike  than  it  used  to  be,  the 
doctor  told  himself,  as  he  pushed  his  feet  into  the 
slippers  which  had  been  waiting  before  the  fire 
until  they  were  in  danger  of  being  scorched.  And 
before  Marilla  had  announced  with  considerable 
ceremony  that  tea  was  upon  the  table,  he  had 
assured  himself  that  it  had  been  a  very  pleasant 
hour  or  two  at  Mrs.  Graham's,  and  it  was  the  best 
thing  in  the  world  for  both  of  them  to  see  some 
thing  of  each  other.  For  the  little  girl's  sake  he 
must  try  to  keep  out  of  ruts,  and  must  get  hold 
of  somebody  outside  his  own  little  world. 

But  while  he  called  himself  an  old  fogy  and 
other  impolite  names  he  was  conscious  of  a  grave 
and  sweet  desire  to  make  the  child's  life  a  success 
ful  one,  — to  bring  out  what  was  in  her  own  mind 


ACROSS  THE  STREET.  145 

and  capacity,  and  so  to  wisely  educate  her,  to  give 
her  a  place  to  work  in,  and  wisdom  to  work  with, 
so  far  as  he  could  ;  for  he  knew  better  than  most 
men  that  it  is  the  people  who  can  do  nothing  who 
find  nothing  to  do,  and  the  secret  of  happiness  in 
this  world  is  not  only  to  be  useful,  but  to  be 
forever  elevating  one's  uses.  Some  one  must  be 
intelligent  for  a  child  until  it  is  ready  to  be  intel 
ligent  for  itself,  and  he  told  himself  with  new 
decision  that  he  must  be  wise  in  his  laws  for  Nan 
and  make  her  keep  them,  else  she  never  would  be 
under  the  grace  of  any  of  her  own. 


XL 

NEW   OUTLOOKS. 

DR.  LESLIE  held  too  securely  the  affection  of  his 
townspeople  to  be  in  danger  of  losing  their  regard 
or  respect,  yet  he  would  have  been  half  pained 
and  half  amused  if  he  had  known  how  foolishly 
his  plans,  which  came  in  time  to  be  his  ward's 
also,  were  smiled  and  frowned  upon  in  the  Old- 
fields  houses.  Conformity  is  the  inspiration  of 
much  second-rate  virtue.  If  we  keep  near  a  cer 
tain  humble  level  of  morality  and  achievement, 
our  neighbors  are  willing  to  let  us  slip  through  life 
unchallenged.  Those  who  anticipate  the  opinions 
and  decisions  of  society  must  expect  to  be  found 
guilty  of  many  sins. 

There  was  not  one  of  the  young  village  people 
so  well  known  as  the  doctor's  little  girl,  who  drove 
with  him  day  by  day,  and  with  whom  he  kept  such 
delightful  and  trustful  companionship.  If  she  had 
been  asked  in  later  years  what  had  decided  her  to 
study  not  only  her  profession,  but  any  profession, 
it  would  have  been  hard  for  her  to  answer  any 
thing  beside  the  truth  that  the  belief  in  it  had 
grown  with  herself.  There  had  been  many  reasons 
why  it  seemed  unnecessary.  There  was  every 


NEW  OUTLOOKS.  147 

prospect  that  she  would  be  rich  enough  to  place 
her  beyond  the  necessity  of  self-support.  She 
could  have  found  occupation  in  simply  keeping 
the  doctor's  house  and  being  a  cordial  hostess  in 
that  home  and  a  welcome  guest  in  other  people's. 
She  was  already  welcome  everywhere  in  Oldfields, 
but  in  spite  of  this,  which  would  have  seemed  to 
fill  the  hearts  and  lives  of  other  girls,  it  seemed 
to  her  like  a  fragment  of  her  life  and  duty ;  and 
when  she  had  ordered  her  housekeeping  and  her 
social  duties,  there  was  a  restless  readiness  for  a 
more  absorbing  duty  and  industry ;  and,  as  the 
years  went  by,  all  her  desire  tended  in  one  direc 
tion.  The  one  thing  she  cared  most  to  learn  in 
creased  its  attraction  continually,  and  though  one 
might  think  the  purpose  of  her  guardian  had  had 
its  influence  and  moulded  her  character  by  its  per 
sistence,  the  truth  was  that  the  wise  doctor  simply 
followed  as  best  he  could  the  leadings  of  thejrojing 
nature  itself,  and  so  the  girl  grew  naturally  year 
by  year,  reaching  out  half  unconsciously  for  what 
belonged  to  her  life  and  growth  ;  being  taught  one 
thing  more  than  all,  that  her  duty  must  be  fol 
lowed  eagerly  and  reverently  in  spite  of  the  ad 
verse  reasons  which  tempted  and  sometimes  baffled 
her.  As  she  grew  older  she  was  to  understand 
more  clearly  that  indecision  is  but  another  name 
for  cowardice  and  weakness  ;  a  habit  of  mind  that 
quickly  increases  its  power  of  hindrance.  She 
had  the  faults  that  belonged  to  her  character,  but 
these  were  the  faults  of  haste  and  rashness  rather 


148  A   COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

than  the  more  hopeless  ones  of  obstinacy  or  a  lack 
of  will  and  purpose. 

The  Sunday  evening  tea-drinking  with  Mrs. 
Graham,  though  somewhat  formidable  at  first  to 
our  heroine,  became  quickly  one  of  her  dearest 
pleasures,  and  led  to  a  fast  friendship  between 
the  kind  hostess  and  her  young  guest.  Soon 
Nan  gave  herself  eagerly  to  a  plan  of  spending 
two  or  three  evenings  a  week  across  the  way  for 
the  purpose  of  reading  aloud,  sometimes  from 
books  she  did  not  understand,  but  oftener  from 
books  of  her  own  choice.  It  was  supposed  to  be 
wholly  a  kindness  on  the  young  girl's  part,  and 
Mrs.  Graham  allowed  the  excuse  of  a  temporary 
ailment  of  her  own  strong  and  useful  eyes  to 
serve  until  neither  she  nor  Nan  had  the  least 
thought  of  giving  up  their  pleasant  habit  of  read 
ing  together.  And  to  this  willing  listener  Nan 
came  in  time  with  her  youthful  dreams  and  visions 
of  future  prosperities  in  life,  so  that  presently  Mrs. 
Graham  knew  many  things  which  would  have  sur 
prised  the  doctor,  who  on  the  other  hand  was  the 
keeper  of  equally  amazing  and  treasured  confi 
dences  of  another  sort.  It  was  a  great  pleasure 
to  both  these  friends,  but  most  especially  to  the 
elderly  woman,  that  Nan  seemed  so  entirely  sat 
isfied  with  their  friendship.  The  busy  doctor, 
who  often  had  more  than  enough  to  think  and 
worry  about,  sometimes  could  spare  but  little 
time  to  Nan  for  days  together,  but  her  other  com 
panion  was  always  waiting  for  her,  and  the  smile 


NEW  OUTLOOKS.  149 

was  always  ready  by  way  of  greeting  when  the 
child  looked  eagerly  up  at  the  parlor  window. 
What  stories  of  past  days  and  memories  of  youth 
and  of  long-dead  friends  belonging  to  the  dear 
lady's  own  girlhood  were  poured  into  Nan's  de 
lighted  ears!  She  came  in  time  to  know  Mrs. 
Graham's  own  immediate  ancestors,  and  the  vari 
ous  members  of  her  family  with  their  fates  and 
fortunes,  as  if  she  were  a  contemporary,  and  was 
like  another  grandchild  who  was  a  neighbor  and 
beloved  crony,  which  real  blessing  none  of  the 
true  grandchildren  had  ever  been  lucky  enough 
to  possess.  She  formed  a  welcome  link  with  the 
outer  world,  did  little  Nan,  and  from  being  a 
cheerful  errand-runner,  came  at  last  to  paying 
friendly  visits  in  the  neighborhood  to  carry  Mrs. 
Graham's  messages  and  assurances.  And  from 
all  these  daily  suggestions  of  courtesy  and  of  good 
taste  and  high  breeding,  and  helpful  fellowship 
with  good  books,  and  the  characters  in  their 
stories  which  were  often  more  real  and  dear  and 
treasured  in  her  thoughts  than  her  actual  fellow 
townsfolk,  Nan  drew  much  pleasure  and  not  a 
little  wisdom  ;  at  any  rate  a  direction  for  which 
she  would  all  her  life  be  thankful.  It  would  have 
been  surprising  if  her  presence  in  the  doctor's 
house  had  not  after  some  time  made  changes 
in  it,  bat  there  was  no  great  difference  outwardly 
except  that  she  gathered  some  trifling  possessions 
which  sometimes  harmonized,  and  as  often  did  not, 
with  the  household  gods  of  the  doctor  and  Marilla, 


150  A    COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

There  was  a  shy  sort  of  intercourse  between  Nan 
and  Mrs.  Graham's  grandchildren,  but  it  was  not 
very  valuable  to  any  of  the  young  people  at  first, 
the  country  child  being  too  old  and  full  of  expe 
rience  to  fellowship  with  the  youngest,  and  too 
unversed  in  the  familiar  machinery  of  their  social 
life  to  feel  much  kinship  with  the  eldest. 

It  was  during  one  of  these  early  summer  visits, 
and  directly  after  a  tea-party  which  Marilla  had 
proudly  projected  on  Nan's  account,  that  Dr. 
Leslie  suddenly  announced  that  he  meant  to  go 
to  Boston  for  a  few  days  and  should  take  Nan 
with  him.  This  event  had  long  been  promised, 
but  had  seemed  at  length  like  the  promise  of  hap 
piness  in  a  future  world,  reasonably  certain,  but  a 
little  vague  and  distant.  It  was  a  more  important 
thing  than  anybody  understood,  for  a  dear  and 
familiar  chapter  of  life  was  ended  when  the  ex 
pectant  pair  drove  out  of  the  village  on  their  way 
to  the  far-off  railway  station,  as  another  had  been 
closed  when  the  door  of  the  Thacher  farm-house 
had  been  shut  and  padlocked,  and  Nan  had  gone 
home  one  snowy  night  to  live  with  the  doctor. 
The  weather  at  any  rate  was  different  now,  for  it 
was  early  June,  the  time  when  doctors  can  best 
give  themselves  a  holiday  ;  and  though  Dr.  Les 
lie  assured  himself  that  he  had  little  wish  to  take 
the  journey,  he  felt  it  quite  due  to  his  ward  that 
she  should  see  a  little  more  of  the  world,  and  hap 
pily  due  also  to  certain  patients  and  his  brother 
physicians  that  he  should  visit  the  instrument- 


NEW  OUTLOOKS.  151 

makers'  shops,  and  some  bookstores ;  in  fact  there 
were  a  good  many  important  errands  to  which  it 
was  just  as  well  to  attend  in  person.  But  he 
watched  Nan's  wide-open,  delighted  eyes,  and  ob 
served  her  lack  of  surprise  at  strange  sights,  and 
her  perfect  readiness  for  the  marvelous,  with  great 
amusement.  He  was  touched  and  pleased  because 
she  cared  most  for  what  had  concerned  him ;  to 
be  told  where  he  lived  and  studied,  and  to  see  the 
places  he  had  known  best,  roused  most  enthu 
siasm.  An  afternoon  in  a  corner  of  the  reading- 
room  at  the  Athenaeum  library,  in  which  he  had 
spent  delightful  hours  when  he  was  a  young  man, 
seemed  to  please  the  young  girl  more  than  any 
thing  else.  As  he  sat  beside  the  table  where  he 
had  gathered  enough  books  and  papers  to  last  for 
many  days,  in  his  delight  at  taking  up  again  his 
once  familiar  habit,  Nan  looked  on  with  sympa 
thetic  eyes,  or  watched  the  squirrels  in  the  trees 
of  the  quiet  Granary  Burying  Ground,  which 
seemed  to  her  like  a  bit  of  country  which  the 
noisy  city  had  caught  and  imprisoned.  Now  that 
she  was  fairly  out  in  the  world  she  felt  a  new, 
strange  interest  in  her  mysterious  aunt,  for  it  was 
this  hitherto  unknown  space  outside  the  borders 
of  Oldfields  to  which  her  father  and  his  people 
belonged.  And  as  a  charming  old  lady  went  by 
in  a  pretty  carriage,  the  child's  gaze  followed  her 
wistfully  as  she  and  the  doctor  were  walking  along 
the  street.  With  a  sudden  blaze  of  imagination 
she  had  wished  those  pleasant  eyes  might  have 


152  ^1    COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

seen  the  likeness  to  her  father,  of  which  she  had 
been  sometimes  told,  and  that  the  carriage  had  been 
hurried  back,  so  that  the  long  estrangement  might 
be  ended.  It  was  a  strange  thing  that,  just  after 
ward,  Dr.  Leslie  had,  with  much  dismay,  caught 
sight  of  the  true  aunt ;  for  Miss  Anna  Prince  of 
Dunport  had  also  seen  fit  to  make  one  of  her  rare 
visits  to  Boston.  She  looked  dignified  and  stately, 
but  a  little  severe,  as  she  went  down  the  side 
street  away  from  them.  Nan's  quick  eyes  had  no 
ticed  already  the  difference  between  the  city  peo 
ple  and  the  country  folks,  and  would  have  even 
recognized  a  certain  provincialism  in  her  father's 
sister.  The  doctor  had  only  seen  Miss  Prince 
once  many  years  before,  but  he  had  known  her 
again  with  instinctive  certainty,  and  Nan  did  not? 
guess,  though  she  was  most  grateful  for  it,  why 
he  reached  for  her  hand,  and  held  it  fast  as 
they  walked  together,  just  as  he  always  used 
to  do  when  she  was  a  little  girl.  She  was  not 
yet  fully  grown,  and  she  never  suspected  the 
sudden  thrill  of  dread,  and  consciousness  of  the 
great  battle  of  life  which  she  must  soon  begin  to 
fight,  which  all  at  once  chilled  the  doctor's  heart. 
"  It 's  a  cold  world,  a  cold  world,"  he  had  said  to 
himself.  "  Only  one  thing  will  help  her  through 
safely,  and  that  is  her  usefulness.  She  shall  never 
be  either  a  thief  or  a  beggar  of  the  world's  favor 
if  I  can  have  my  wish."  And  Nan,  holding  his 
hand  with  her  warm,  soft,  childish  one,  looked  up 
in  his  face,  all  unconscious  that  he  thought  with 


NEW  OUTLOOKS.  153 

pity  how  unaware  she  was  of  the  years  to  come> 
and  of  their  difference  to  this  sunshine  holiday. 
"  And  yet  I  never  was  so  happy  at  her  age  as  I 
am  this  summer,"  the  doctor  told  himself  by  way 
of  cheer. 

They  paid  some  visits  together  to  Dr.  Leslie's 
much-neglected  friends,  and  it  was  interesting  to 
see  how,  for  the  child's  sake,  he  resumed  his  place 
among  these  acquaintances  to  whom  he  had  long 
been  linked  either  personally  in  times  past,  or  by 
family  ties.  He  was  sometimes  reproached  for 
his  love  of  seclusion  and  cordially  welcomed  back 
to  his  old  relations,  but  as  often  found  it  impos 
sible  to  restore  anything  but  a  formal  intercourse 
of  a  most  temporary  nature.  The  people  for 
whom  he  cared  most,  all  seemed  attracted  to  his 
young  ward,  and  he  noted  this  with  pleasure, 
though  he  had  not  recognized  the  fact  that  he 
had  been,  for  the  moment,  basely  uncertain 
whether  his  judgment  of  her  worth  would  be  con 
firmed.  He  laughed  at  the  insinuation  that  he 
had  made  a  hermit  or  an  outlaw  of  himself ;  he 
would  haver  been  still  more  amused  to  hear  one 
of  his  old  friends  say  that  this  was  the  reason 
they  had  seen  so  little  of  him  in  late  years,  and 
that  it  was  a  shame  that  a  man  of  his  talent 
and  many  values  to  the  world  should  be  hiding  his 
light  under  the  Oldfields  bushel,  and  all  for  the 
sake  of  bringing  up  this  child.  As  for  Nan,  she 
had  little  to  say,  but  kept  her  eyes  and  ears  wide 
open,  and  behaved  herself  discreetly.  She  had 


154  A   COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

ceased  to  belong  only  to  the  village  she  had  left ; 
in  these  days  she  became  a  citizen  of  the  world  at 
large.  Her  horizon  had  suddenly  become  larger, 
and  she  might  have  discovered  more  than  one 
range  of  mountains  which  must  be  crossed  as  the 
years  led  her  forward  steadily,  one  by  one. 

There  is  nothing  so  interesting  as  to  be  able  to 
watch  the  change  and  progress  of  the  mental 
and  moral  nature,  provided  it  grows  eagerly  and 
steadily.  There  must  be  periods  of  repose  and 
hibernation  like  the  winter  of  a  plant,  and  in  its 
springtime  the  living  soul  will  both  consciously 
and  unconsciously  reach  out  for  new  strength  and 
new  light.  The  leaves  and  flowers  of  action  and 
achievement  are  only  the  signs  of  the  vitality  that 
works  within. 


XII. 

AGAINST    THE    WIND. 

DURING  the  next  few  years,  while  Nan  was 
growing  up,  Oldfields  itself  changed  less  than 
many  country  towns  of  its  size.  Though  some 
faces  might  be  missed  or  altered,  Dr.  Leslie's 
household  seemed  much  the  same,  and  Mrs.  Gra 
ham,  a  little  thinner  and  older,  but  more  patient 
and  sweet  and  delightful  than  ever,  sits  at  her 
parlor  window  and  reads  new  books  and  old  ones, 
and  makes  herself  the  centre  of  much  love  and 
happiness.  She  and  the  doctor  have  grown  more 
and  more  friendly,  and  they  watch  the  young 
girl's  development  with  great  pride  :  they  look  for 
ward  to  her  vacations  more  than  they  would  care 
to  confess  even  to  each  other ;  and  when  she  comes 
home  eager  and  gay,  she  makes  both  these  dear 
friends  feel  young  again.  When  Nan  is  not  there 
to  keep  him  company,  Dr.  Leslie  always  drives, 
and  has  grown  more  careful  about  the  comfort  of 
his  carriages,  though  he  tells  himself  with  great 
pleasure  that  he  is  really  much  more  youthful  in 
his  feelings  than  he  was  twenty  years  before,  and 
does  not  hesitate  to  say  openly  that  he  should 
have  been  an  old  fogy  by  this  time  if  it  had  not 


156  A    COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

been  for  the  blessing  of  young  companionship. 
When  Nan  is  pleased  to  command,  he  is  always 
ready  to  take  long  rides  and  the  two  saddles  are 
brushed  up,  and  they  wonder  why  the  bits  are  so 
tarnished,  and  she  holds  his  horse's  bridle  while 
he  goes  in  to  see  his  patients,  and  is  ready  with 
merry  talk  or  serious  questions  when  he  reap 
pears.  And  one  dark  night  she  listens  from  her 
window  to  the  demand  of  a  messenger,  and  softly 
creeps  down  stairs  and  is  ready  to  take  her  place 
by  his  side,  and  drive  him  across  the  hills  as  if  it 
were  the  best  fun  in  the  world,  with  the  fright 
ened  country-boy  clattering  behind  on  his  bare 
backed  steed.  The  moon  rises  late  and  they  come 
home  just  before  daybfeak,  and  though  the  doc 
tor  tries  to  be  stern  as  he  says  he  cannot  have 
such  a  piece  of  mischief  happen  again,  he  wonders 
how  the  girl  knew  that  he  had  dreaded  for  once 
in  his  life  the  drive  in  the  dark,  and  had  felt  a 
little  less  strong  than  usual. 

Marilla  still  reigns  in  noble  state.  She  has  some 
time  ago  accepted  a  colleague  after  a  preliminary 
show  of  resentment,  and  Nan  has  little  by  little 
infused  a  different  spirit  into  the  housekeeping ; 
and  when  her  friends  come  to  pay  visits  in  the 
vacations  they  find  the  old  home  a  very  charming 
place,  and  fall  quite  in  love  with  both  the  doctor 
and  Mrs.  Graham  before  they  go  away.  Marilla 
always  kept  the  large  east  parlor  for  a  sacred 
si  rine  of  society,  to  be  visited  chiefly  by  herself  as 
guardian  priestess ;  but  Nan  has  made  it  a  pleas* 


AGAINST  THE  WIND.  157 

anter  room  than  anybody  ever  imagined  possible, 
and  uses  it  with  a  freedom  which  appears  to  the 
old  housekeeper  to  lack  consideration  and  respect. 
Nan  makes  the  most  of  her  vacations,  while  the 
neighbors  are  all  glad  to  see  her  come  back,  and 
some  of  them  are  much  amused  because  in  sum 
mer  she  still  clings  to  her  childish  impatience  at 
wearing  any  head  covering,  and  no  matter  how 
much  Marilla  admires  the  hat  which  is  deco 
rously  worn  to  church  every  Sunday  morning,  it 
is  hardly  seen  again,  except  by  chance,  during  the 
week,  and  the  brown  hair  is  sure  to  be  faded  a 
little  before  the  summer  sunshine  is  past.  Nan 
goes  about  visiting  when  she  feels  inclined,  and 
seems  surprisingly  unchanged  as  she  seats  herself 
in  one  of  the  smoke-browned  Dyer  kitchens,  and 
listens  eagerly  to  whatever  information  is  offered, 
or  answers  cordially  all  sorts  of  questions,  whether 
they  concern  her  own  experiences  or  the  world's 
in  general.  She  has  never  yet  seen  her  father's 
sister,  though  she  still  thinks  of  her,  and  some 
times  with  a  strange  longing  for  an  evidence  of 
kind  feeling  and  kinship  which  has  never  been 
shown.  This  has  been  chief  among  the  vague  sor 
rows  of  her  girlhood.  Yet  once  when  her  guardian 
had  asked  if  she  wished  to  make  some  attempt  at 
intercourse  or  conciliation,  he  had  been  answered, 
with  a  scorn  and  decision  worthy  of  grandmother 
Thacher  herself,  that  it  was  for  Miss  Prince  to 
make  advances  if  she  ever  wished  for  either  the 
respect  or  affection  of  her  niece.  But  the  young 


158  A   COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

girl  has  clung  with  touching  affection  to  the  mem 
ory  and  association  of  her  childhood,  and  again 
and  again  sought  in  every  season  of  the  year  the 
old  playgrounds  and  familiar  corners  of  the  farm, 
which  she  has  grown  fonder  of  as  the  months 
go  by.  The  inherited  attachment  of  generations 
seems  to  have  been  centred  in  her  faithful  heart. 

It  must  be  confessed  that  the  summer  which 
followed  the  close  of  her  school-life  was,  for  the 
most  part,  very  unsatisfactory.  Her  school-days 
had  been  more  than  usually  pleasant  and  re 
warding,  in  spite  of  the  sorrows  and  disappoint 
ments  and  unsolvable  puzzles  which  are  sure  to 
trouble  thoughtful  girls  of  her  age.  But  she  had 
grown  so  used  at  last  to  living  by  rules  and  bells 
that  she  could  not  help  feeling  somewhat  adrift 
without  them.  It  had  been  so  hard  to  put  herself 
under  restraint  and  discipline  after  her  free  life  in 
Oldfields  that  it  was  equally  hard  for  a  while  to 
find  herself  at  liberty;  though,  this  being  her  nat 
ural  state,  she  welcomed  it  heartily  at  first,  and 
was  very  thankful  to  be  at  home.  It  did  not  take 
long  to  discover  that  she  had  no  longer  the  same 
desire  for  her  childish  occupations  and  amuse 
ments  ;  they  were  only  incidental  now  and  per 
tained  to  certain  moods,  and  could  not  again  be 
made  the  chief  purposes  of  her  life.  She  hardly 
knew  what  to  do  with  herself,  and  sometimes  won 
dered  what  would  become  of  her,  and  why  she 
was  alive  at  all,  as  she  longed  for  some  sufficient 
motive  of  existence  to  catch  her  up  into  its  whirl» 


AGAINST  THE  WIND.  159 

wind.  She  was  filled  with  energy  and  a  great 
desire  for  usefulness,  but  it  was  not  with  her,  as 
with  many  of  her  friends,  that  the  natural  instinct 
toward  marriage,  and  the  building  and  keeping  of 
a  sweet  home-life,  ruled  all  other  plans  and  possi 
bilities.  Her  best  wishes  and  hopes  led  her  away 
from  all  this,  and  however  tenderly  she  sympa 
thized  in  other  people's  happiness,  and  recog 
nized  its  inevitableness,  for  herself  she  avoided 
unconsciously  all  approach  or  danger  of  it.  She 
was  trying  to  climb  by  the  help  of  some  other 
train  of  experiences  to  whatever  satisfaction  and 
success  were  possible  for  her  in  this  world.  If 
she  had  been  older  and  of  a  different  nature,  she 
might  have  been  told  that  to  climb  up  any  other 
way  toward  a  shelter  from  the  fear  of  worthless- 
ness,  and  mistake,  and  reproach,  would  be  to 
prove  herself  in  most  people's  eyes  a  thief  and  a 
robber.  But  in  these  days  she  was  not  fit  to 
reason  much  about  her  fate ;  she  could  only  wait 
for  the  problems  to  make  themselves  understood, 
and  for  the  whole  influence  of  her  character  and 
of  the  preparatory  years  to  shape  and  signify 
themselves  into  a  simple  chart  and  unmistakable 
command.  And  until  the  power  was  given  to 
"  see  life  steadily  and  see  it  whole,"  she  busied 
herself  aimlessly  with  such  details  as  were  evi 
dently  her  duty,  and  sometimes  following  the  right 
road  and  often  wandering  from  it  in  willful  im 
patience,  she  stumbled  along  more  or  less  unhap 
pily.  It  seemed  as  if  everybody  had  forgotten 


160  A   COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

Nan's  gift  and  love  for  the  great  profession  which 
was  her  childish  delight  and  ambition.  To  be 
sure  she  had  studied  anatomy  and  physiology  with 
eager  devotion  in  the  meagre  text-books  at  school, 
though  the  other  girls  had  grumbled  angrily  at 
the  task.  Long  ago,  when  Nan  had  confided  to 
her  dearest  cronies  that  she  meant  to  be  a  doctor, 
they  were  hardly  surprised  that  she  should  deter 
mine  upon  a  career  which  they  would  have  re 
jected  for  themselves.  She  was  not  of  their  mind, 
and  they  believed  her  capable  of  doing  anything 
she  undertook.  Yet  to  most  of  them  the  possible 
and  even  probable  marriage  which  was  waiting 
somewhere  in  the  future  seemed  to  hover  like  a 
cloudy  barrier  over  the  realization  of  any  such  un 
natural  plans. 

They  assured  themselves  that  their  school 
mate  showed  no  sign  of  being  the  sort  of  girl 
who  tried  to  be  mannish  and  to  forsake  her  nat 
ural  vocation  for  a  profession.  She  did  not  look 
strong-minded ;  besides  she  had  no  need  to  work 
for  her  living,  this  ward  of  a  rich  man,  who  was 
altogether  the  most  brilliant  and  beautiful  girl 
in  school.  Yet  everybody  knew  that  she  had  a 
strange  tenacity  of  purpose,  and  there  was  a  lack 
of  pretension,  and  a  simplicity  that  scorned  the 
deceits  of  school-girl  existence.  Everybody  knew 
too  that  she  was  not  a  commonplace  girl,  and  her 
younger  friends  made  her  the  heroine  of  their 
fondest  anticipations  and  dreams.  But  after  all, 
it  seemed  as  if  everybody,  even  the  girl  herself^ 


AGAINST  THE  WIND.  161 

had  lost  sight  of  the  once  familiar  idea.  It  was  a 
natural  thing  enough  that  she  should  have  become 
expert  in  rendering  various  minor  services  to  the 
patients  in  Dr.  Leslie's  absence,  and  sometimes 
assist  him  when  no  other  person  was  at  hand.  Ma- 
rilla  became  insensible  at  the  sight  of  the  least 
dangerous  of  wounds,  and  could  not  be  trusted  to 
suggest  the  most  familiar  household  remedy,  after 
all  her  years  of  association  with  the  practice  of 
medicine,  and  it  was  considered  lucky  that  Nan 
had  some  aptness  for  such  services.  In  her 
childhood  she  had  been  nicknamed  "the  little 
doctor,"  by  the  household  and  even  a  few  familiar 
friends,  but  this  was  apparently  outgrown,  though 
her  guardian  had  more  than  once  announced  in 
sudden  outbursts  of  enthusiasm  that  she  already 
knew  more  than  most  of  the  people  who  tried  to 
practice  medicine.  They  once  in  a  while  talked 
about  some  suggestion  or  discovery  which  was  at 
tracting  Dr.  Leslie's  attention,  but  the  girl  seemed 
hardly  to  have  gained  much  interest  even  for  this, 
and  became  a  little  shy  of  being  found  with  one 
of  the  medical  books  in  her  hand,  as  she  tried  to 
fancy  herself  in  sympathy  with  the  conventional 
world  of  school  and  of  the  every-day  ideas  of  so 
ciety.  And  yet  her  inward  sympathy  with  a  doc 
tor's  and  a  surgeon's  work  grew  stronger  and 
stronger,  though  she  dismissed  reluctantly  the  pos 
sibility  of  following  her  bent  in  any  formal  way, 
since,  after  all,  her  world  had  seemed  to  forbid  it. 
As  the  time  drew  near  for  her  school-days  to  be 


162  A    COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

ended,  she  tried  to  believe  that  she  should  be  satis 
fied  with  her  Oldfields  life.  She  was  fond  of  read 
ing,  and  she  had  never  lacked  employment,  besides, 
she  wished  to  prove  herself  an  intelligent  compan 
ion  to  Dr.  Leslie,  whom  she  loved  more  and  more 
dearly  as  the  years  went  by.  There  had  been  a 
long  time  of  reserve  between  her  childish  freedom 
of  intercourse  with  him  and  the  last  year  or  two 
when  they  had  begun  to  speak  freely  to  each  other 
as  friend  to  friend.  It  was  a  constant  surprise 
and  pleasure  to  the  doctor  when  he  discovered  that 
his  former  plaything  was  growing  into  a  charming 
companion  who  often  looked  upon  life  from  the 
same  standpoint  as  himself,  and  who  had  her  own 
outlooks  upon  the  world,  from  whence  she  was 
able  to  give  him  by  no  means  worthless  intelli 
gence  ;  and  after  the  school-days  were  over  he  was 
not  amazed  to  find  how  restless  and  dissatisfied 
the  girl  was ;  how  impossible  it  was  for  her  to 
content  herself  with  following  the  round  of  house 
hold  duties  which  were  supposed  to  content  young 
women  of  her  age  and  station.  Even  if  she  tried 
to  pay  visits  or  receive  them  from  her  friends,  or 
to  go  on  with  her  studies,  or  to  review  some  text 
book  of  which  she  had  been  fond,  there  was  no 
motive  for  it ;  it  all  led  to  nothing ;  it  began  for  no 
reason  and  ended  in  no  use,  as  she  exclaimed  one 
day  most  dramatically.  Poor  Nan  hurried  through 
her  house  business,  or  neglected  it,  as  the  case 
might  be,  greatly  to  Manila's  surprise  and  scorn, 
for  the  girl  had  always  proved  herself  diligent  and 


AGAINST  THE  WIND.  163 

interested  in  the  home  affairs.  More  and  more 
she  puzzled  herself  and  everybody  about  her,  and 
as  the  days  went  by  she  spent  them  out  of  doors 
at  the  old  farm,  or  on  the  river,  or  in  taking  long 
rides  on  a  young  horse ;  a  bargain  the  doctor  had 
somewhat  repented  before  he  found  that  Nan  was 
helped  through  some  of  her  troubled  hours  by  the 
creature's  wildness  and  fleetness.  It  was  very 
plain  that  his  ward  was  adrift,  and  at  first  the 
doctor  suggested  farther  study  of  Latin  or  chem 
istry,  but  afterward  philosophically  resigned  him 
self  to  patience,  feeling  certain  that  some  indi 
cation  of  the  right  course  would  not  be  long 
withheld,  and  that  a  wind  from  the  right  quar 
ter  would  presently  fill  the  flapping  sails  of  this 
idle  young  craft  and  send  it  on  its  way. 

One  afternoon  Nan  went  hurrying  out  of  the 
house  just  after  dinner,  and  the  doctor  saw  that  her 
face  was  unusually  troubled.  He  had  asked  her 
if  she  would  like  to  drive  with  him  to  a  farm  just 
beyond  the  Dyers'  later  in  the  day,  but  for  a  won 
der  she  had  refused.  Dr.  Leslie  gave  a  little  sigh 
as  he  left  the  table,  and  presently  watched  her  go 
down  the  street  as  he  stood  by  the  window.  It 
would  be  very  sad  if  the  restlessness  and  discord 
of  her  poor  mother  should  begin  to  show  them 
selves  again  ;  he  could  not  bear  to  think  of  such  an 
inheritance. 

But  Nan  thought  little  of  anybody  else's  discom 
forts  as  she  hurried  along  the  road ;  she  only  wished 


164  A    COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

to  get  to  the  beloved  farm,  and  to  be  free  there 
from  questions,  and  from  the  evidences  of  her  unfit- 
ness  for  the  simple  duties  which  life  seemed  offer 
ing  her  with  heartless  irony.  She  was  not  good  for 
anyihii  ^  after  all,  it  appeared,  and  she  had  been 
cheatiiig  herself.  This  was  no  life  at  all,  this 
fretful  idleness  ;  if  only  she  had  been  trained  as 
boys  are,  to  the  work  of  their  lives!  She  had 
hoped  that  Dr.  Leslie  would  help  her  ;  he  used  to 
talk  long  ago  about  her  studying  medicine,  but  he 
must  have  forgotten  that,  and  the  girT~savagely 
rebuked  society  in  general  for  her  unhappinesso 
Of  course  she  could  keep  the  house,  but  it  was 
kept  already  ;  any  one  with  five  senses  and  good 
health  like  hers  could  prove  herself  able  to  dc 
any  of  the  ordinary  work  of  existence.  For  her 
part  it  was  not  enough  to  be  waited  upon  and 
made  comfortable,  she  wanted  something  more,  to 
.  be  really  of  use  in  the  world,  and  to  do  work  which 
the  world  needed. 

Where  the  main  road  turned  eastward  up  tho 
hills,  a  footpath,  already  familiar  to  the  reader, 
shortened  the  distance  to  the  farm,  and  the  youn^ 
girl  quickly  crossed  the  rude  stile  and  disappeared 
among  the  underbrush,  walking  bareheaded  with 
the  swift  steps  of  a  creature  whose  home  was  in 
some  such  place  as  this.  Often  the  dry  twigs,  fallen 
from  the  gray  lower  branches  of  the  pines,  crackled 
and  snapped  under  her  feet,  or  the  bushes  rustled 
backed  again  to  their  places  after  she  pushed 
against  them  in  passing ;  she  hurried  faster  and 


AGAINST  THE  WIND.  165 

faster,  going  first  through  the  dense  woods  and 
then  out  into  the  sunlight.  Once  or  twice  in  the 
open  ground  she  stopped  and  knelt  quickly  on  the 
soft  turf  or  moss  to  look  at  a  little  plant,  while 
the  birds  which  she  startled  came  back  to  their 
places  directly,  as  if  they  had  been  quick  to  feel 
that  this  was  a  friend  and  not  an  enemy,  though 
disguised  in  human  shape.  At  last  Nan  reached 
the  moss-grown  fence  of  the  farm  and  leaped  over 
it,  and  fairly  ran  to  the  river-shore,  where  she 
went  straight  to  one  of  the  low-growing  cedars,  and 
threw  herself  upon  it  as  if  it  were  a  couch.  While 
she  sat  there,  breathing  fast  and  glowing  with 
bright  color,  the  river  sent  a  fresh  breeze  by  way 
of  messenger,  and  the  old  cedar  held  its  many 
branches  above  her  and  around  her  most  comfort 
ably,  and  sheltered  her  as  it  had  done  many  times 
before.  It  need  not  have  envied  other  trees  the 
satisfaction  of  climbing  straight  upward  in  a  sin 
gle  aspiration  of  growth. 

And  presently  Nan  told  herself  that  there  was 
nothing  like  a  good  run.  She  looked  to  and  fro 
along  the  river,  and  listened  to  the  sheep-bell 
which  tinkled  lazily  in  the  pasture  behind  her. 
She  looked  over  her  shoulder  to  see  if  a  favorite 
young  birch  tree  had  suffered  no  harm,  for  it 
grew  close  by  the  straight-edged  path  in  which  the 
cattle  came  down  to  drink.  So  she  rested  in  the 
old  playground,  unconscious  that  she  had  been 
following  her  mother's  footsteps,  or  that  fate  had 
again  brought  her  here  for  a  great  decision. 


166  A   COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

Years  before,  the  miserable,  suffering  woman,  who 
had  wearily  come  to  this  place  to  end  their  lives, 
had  turned  away  that  the  child  might  make  her 
own  choice  between  the  good  and  evil  things  of 
life.  Though  Nan  told  herself  that  she  must 
make  it  plain  how  she  could  spend  her  time  in 
Oldfields  to  good  purpose  and  be  of  most  use  at 
home,  and  must  get  a  new  strength  for  these  du 
ties,  a  decision  suddenly  presented  itself  to  her 
with  a  force  of  reason  and  necessity  the  old  dream 
of  it  had  never  shown.  Why  should  it  not  be 
a  reality  that  she  studied  medicine  ? 

The  thought  entirely  possessed  her,  and  the 
glow  of  excitement  and  enthusiasm  made  her 
spring  from  the  cedar  boughs  and  laugh  aloud. 
Her  whole  heart  went  out  to  this  work,  and  she 
wondered  why  she  had  ever  lost  sight  of  it.  She 
was  sure  this  was  the  way  in  which  she  could 
find  most  happiness.  God  had  directed  her  at 
last,  and  though  the  opening  of  her  sealed  or 
ders  had  been  long  delayed,  the  suspense  had 
only  made  her  surer  that  she  must  hold  fast  this 
unspeakably  great  motive :  something  to  work 
for  with  all  her  might  as  long  as  she  lived.  Peo 
ple  might  laugh  or  object.  Nothing  should  turn 
her  aside,  and  a  new  affection  for  kind  and  pa 
tient  Dr.  Leslie  filled  her  mind.  How  eager  he 
had  been  to  help  her  in  all  her  projects  so  far,  and 
yet  it  was  asking  a  great  deal  that  he  should  favor 
this ;  he  had  never  seemed  to  show  any  suspicion 
that  she  would  not  live  on  quietly  at  home  like 


AGAINST  THE  WIND.  167 

other  girls  ;  but  while  Nan  told  herself  that  she 
would  give  up  any  plan,  even  this,  if  he  could  con 
vince  her  that  it  would  be  wrong,  still  her  former 
existence  seemed  like  a  fog  and  uncertainty  of 
death,  from  which  she  had  turned  away,  this  time 
of  her  own  accord,  toward  a  great  light  of  satis 
faction  and  certain  safety  and  helpfulness.  The 
doctor  would  know  how  to  help  her ;  if  she  only 
could  study  with  him  that  would  be  enough  ;  and 
away  she  went,  hurrying  down  the  river-shore  as 
if  she  were  filled  with  a  new  life  and  happiness. 

She  startled  a  brown  rabbit  from  under  a  bush, 
and  made  him  a  grave  salutation  when  he  stopped 
and  lifted  his  head  to  look  at  her  from  a  conven 
ient  distance.  Once  she  would  have  stopped  and 
seated  herself  on  the  grass  to  amaze  him  with 
courteous  attempts  at  friendliness,  but  now  she 
only  laughed  again,  and  went  quickly  down  the 
steep  bank  through  the  junipers  and  then  hurried 
along  the  pebbly  margin  of  the  stream  toward  the 
village.  She  smiled  to  see  lying  side  by  side  a 
flint  arrowhead  and  a  water-logged  bobbin  that  had 
floated  down  from  one  of  the  mills,  and  gave  one 
a  toss  over  the  water,  while  she  put  the  other  in 
her  pocket.  Her  thoughts  were  busy  enough,  and 
though  some  reasons  against  the  carrying  out  of 
her  plan  ventured  to  assert  themselves,  they  had 
no  hope  of  carrying  the  day,  being  in  piteous  mi 
nority,  though  she  considered  them  one  by  one. 
By  and  by  she  came  into  the  path  again,  and  as 
she  reached  the  stile  she  was  at  first  glad  and  then 


168  A    COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

sorry  to  see  the  doctor  coming  along  the  high  road 
from  the  Donnell  farm.  She  was  a  little  dismayed 
at  herself  because  she  had  a  sudden  disinclination 
to  tell  this  good  friend  her  secret. 

But  Dr.  Leslie  greeted  her  most  cheerfully,  giv 
ing  her  the  reins  when  she  had  climbed  into  the 
wagon,  and  they  talked  of  the  weather  and  of  the 
next  day's  plans  as  they  drove  home  together. 
The  girl  felt  a  sense  of  guilt  and  a  shameful  lack 
of  courage,  but  she  was  needlessly  afraid  that  her 
happiness  might  be  spoiled  by  a  word  from  that 
quarter. 

That  very  evening  it  was  raining  outside,  and 
the  doctor  and  Nan  were  sitting  in  the  library 
opposite  each  other  at  the  study-table,  and  as  they 
answered  some  letters  in  order  to  be  ready  for  the 
early  morning  post,  they  stole  a  look  at  each  other 
now  and  then.  The  doctor  laid  down  his  pen  first, 
and  presently,  as  Nan  with  a  little  sigh  threw 
hers  into  the  tray  beside  it,  he  reached  forward  to 
where  there  was  one  of  the  few  uncovered  spaces 
of  the  dark  wood  of  the  table  and  drew  his  finger 
across  it.  They  both  saw  the  shining  surface 
much  more  clearly,  and  as  the  dusty  finger  was 
held  up  and  examined  carefully  by  its  owner,  the 
girl  tried  to  laugh,  and  then  found  her  voice  trem 
bling  as  she  said :  "  I  believe  I  haven't  forgotten 
to  put  the  table  in  order  before.  I  have  tried  to 
take  care  of  the  study  at  any  rate." 

"  Nan  dear,  it  is  n't  the  least  matter  in  the 
world  !  "  said  Dr.  Leslie.  "  I  think  we  are  a  little 


AGAINST  THE   WIND.  169 

chilly  here  this  damp  night ;  suppose  you  light  the 
fire  ?  At  any  rate  it  will  clear  away  all  those  en 
velopes  and  newspaper  wrappers,"  and  he  turned 
his  arm-chair  so  that  it  faced  the  fireplace,  and 
watched  the  young  girl  as  she  moved  about  the 
room.  She  lifted  one  of  the  large  sticks  and  stood 
it  on  one  end  at  the  side  of  the  hearth,  and  the 
doctor  noticed  that  she  did  it  less  easily  than  usual 
and  without  the  old  strength  and  alertness.  He 
had  sprung  up  to  help  her  just  too  late,  but  she 
had  indignantly  refused  any  assistance  with  a  half 
pettishness  that  was  not  a  common  mood  with 
her. 

"  I  don't  see  why  Jane  or  Marilla,  or  whoever 
it  was,  put  that  heavy  log  on  at  this  time  of  the 
year,"  said  Dr.  Leslie,  as  if  it  were  a  matter  of 
solemn  consequence.  By  this  time  he  had  lighted 
a  fresh  cigar,  and  Nan  had  brought  her  little  wooden 
chair  from  some  corner  of  the  room  where  it  had 
always  lived  since  it  came  with  her  from  the  farm. 
It  was  a  dear  old-fashioned  little  thing,  but  quite 
too  small  for  its  owner,  who  had  grown  up  tall  and 
straight,  but  who  had  felt  a  sudden  longing  to  be 
a  child  again,  as  she  quietly  took  her  place  before 
the  fire. 

"  That  log  ?  "  she  said,  "  I  wonder  if  you  will 
never  learn  that  we  must  not  burn  it  ?  I  saw  Ma 
rilla  myself  when  she  climbed  the  highest  wood 
pile  at  the  farther  end  of  the  wood-house  for  it. 
I  suppose  all  the  time  I  have  been  away  you  have 
been  remorselessly  burning  up  the  show  logs.  I 


170  A    COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

don't  wonder  at  her  telling  me  this  very  morning 
that  she  was  born  to  suffer,  and  suffer  she  supposed 
she  must.  We  never  used  to  be  allowed  to  put 
papers  in  the  fireplace,  but  you  have  gained  ever 
so  many  liberties.  I  wonder  if  Marilla  really 
thinks  she  has  had  a  hard  life  ?  "  the  girl  said, 
in  a  different  tone. 

"  I  wonder  if  you  think  yours  is  hard  too  ?  " 
asked  the  doctor. 

And  Nan  did  not  know  at  first  what  to  say. 
The  bright  light  of  the  burning  papers  and  the 
pine-cone  kindlings  suddenly  faded  out  and  the 
study  seemed  dark  and  strange  by  contrast ;  but 
the  doctor  did  not  speak  either  ;  he  only  bent 
towards  her  presently,  and  put  his  hand  on  the 
top  of  the  girl's  head  and  stroked  the  soft  hair 
once  or  twice,  and  then  gently  turned  it  until  he 
could  see  Nan's  face. 

Her  eyes  met  his  frankly  as  ever,  but  they  were 
full  of  tears.  "  Yes,"  she  said ;  "I  wish  you 
would  talk  to  me.  I  wish  you  would  give  me  a 
great  scolding.  I  never  needed  it  so  much  in  my 
life.  I  meant  to  come  home  and  be  very  good, 
and  do  everything  I  could  to  make  you  happy, 
but  it  all  grows  worse  every  day.  I  thought  at 
first  I  was  tired  with  the  last  days  of  school,  but 
it  is  something  more  than  that.  I  don't  wish  in 
the  least  that  I  were  back  at  school,  but  I  can't 
understand  anything;  there  is  something  in  me 
that  wants  to  be  busy,  and  can't  find  anything  to 
do.  I  don't  mean  to  be  discontented  ;  I  don't 
want  to  be  anywhere  else  in  the  world." 


AGAINST  THE    WIND.  171 

"  There  is  enough  to  do,"  answered  the  doctor, 
as  placidly  as  possible,  for  this  was  almost  the  first 
time  he  had  noticed  distinctly  the  mother's  nature 
in  her  daughter  ;  a  restless,  impatient,  miserable 
sort  of  longing  for  The  Great  Something  Else,  as 
Dr.  Ferris  had  once  called  it.  "  Don't  fret  your 
self,  Nan,  yours  is  a  short-lived  sorrow  ;  for  if 
you  have  any  conscience  at  all  about  doing  your 
work  you  will  be  sure  enough  to  find  it." 

"I  think  I  have  found  it  at  last,  but  I  don't 
know  whether  any  one  else  will  agree  with  me," 
half  whispered  poor  Nan  ;  while  the  doctor,  in 
spite  of  himself,  of  his  age,  and  experience,  and 
sympathy,  and  self-control,  could  not  resist  a  smile. 
"  I  hate  to  talk  about  myself  or  to  be  sentimental, 
but  I  want  to  throw  my  whole  love  and  life  into 
whatever  there  is  waiting  for  me  to  do,  and  —  I 
began  to  be  afraid  I  had  missed  it  somehow. 
Once  I  thought  I  should  like  to  be  a  teacher,  and 
come  back  here  when  I  was  through  school  and 
look  after  the  village  children.  I  had  such  splen 
did  ideas  about  that,  but  they  all  faded  out.  I 
went  into  the  school-house  one  day,  and  I  thought 
I  would  rather  die  than  be  shut  up  there  from  one 
week's  end  to  another." 

"  No,"  said  Dr.  Leslie,  with  grave  composure. 
"  No,  I  don't  feel  sure  that  you  would  do  well  to 
make  a  teacher  of  yourself." 

"  I  wish  that  I  had  known  when  school  was  over 
that  I  must  take  care  of  myself,  as  one  or  two 
of  the  girls  meant  to  do,  and  sometimes  it  seems 


172  A    COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

as  if  I  ought,"  said  Nan,  after  a  silence  of  a 
minutes,  and  this  time  it  was  very  hard  to  speak. 
"  You  have  been  so  kind,  and  have  do'ne  so  much 
for  me  ;  I  supposed  at  first  there  was  money  enough 
of  my  own,  but  I  know  now." 

"  Dear  child  !  "  the  doctor  exclaimed,  "  you  will 
never  know,  unless  you  are  left  alone  as  I  was, 
what  a  blessing  it  is  to  have  somebody  to  take 
care  of  and  to  love  ;  I  have  put  you  in  the  place 
of  my  own  little  child,  and  have  watched  you 
grow  up  here,  with  more  thankfulness  every  year. 
Don't  ever  say  another  word  to  me  about  the 
money  part  of  it.  What  had  I  to  spend  money 
for?  And  now  I  hear  you  say  all  these  despairing 
things  ;  but  I  am  an  old  man,  and  I  take  them 
for  what  they  are  worth.  You  have  a  few  hard 
months  before  you,  perhaps,  but  before  you  know 
it  they  will  be  over  with.  Don't  worry  yourself ; 
look  after  Marilla  a  little,  and  that  new  hand 
maid,  and  drive  about  with  me.  To-morrow  I 
must  be  on  the  road  all  day,  and,  to  tell  the 
truth,  I  must  think  over  one  or  two  of  my  cases 
before  I  go  to  bed.  Won't  you  hand  me  my  old 
prescription  book  ?  I  was  trying  to  remember 
something  as  I  came  home." 

Nan,  half-comforted,  went  to  find  the  book,  while 
Dr.  Leslie,  puffing  his  cigar-smoke  very  fast,  looked 
up  through  the  cloud  abstractedly  at  a  new  orna 
ment  which  had  been  placed  above  the  mantel 
shelf  since  we  first  knew  the  room.  Old  Captain 
Finch  had  solaced  his  weary  and  painful  last  years 


AGAINST  THE    WIND.  173 

by  making  a  beautiful  little  model  of  a  ship,  and 
had  left  it  in  his  will  to  the  doctor.  There  never 
was  a  more  touching  gift,  this  present  owner  often 
thought,  and  he  had  put  it  in  its  place  with  rever 
ent  hands.  A  comparison  of  the  two  lives  came 
stealing  into  his  mind,  and  he  held  the  worn  pre 
scription-book  a  minute  before  he  opened  it.  The 
poor  old  captain  waiting  to  be  released,  stranded 
on  the  inhospitable  shore  of  this  world,  and  eager 
Nan,  who  was  sorrowfully  longing  for  the  world's 
war  to  begin.  "  Two  idle  heroes,"  thought  Dr. 
Leslie,  "and  I  neither  wished  to  give  one  his  dis 
charge  nor  the  other  her  commission;"  but  he 
said  aloud,  "  Nan,  we  will  take  a  six  o'clock  start 
in  the  morning,  and  go  down  through  the  sandy 
plains  before  the  heat  begins.  I  am  afraid  it  will 
be  one  of  the  worst  of  the  dog-days." 

"  Yes,"  answered  Nan  eagerly,  and  then  she 
came  close  to  the  doctor,  and  looked  at  him  a 
moment  before  she  spoke,  while  her  face  shone 
with  delight.  _  "I  am  going  to  be  a  doctor,  too ! 
I  have  thought  it  would  be  the  best  thing  in  the 
world  ever  since  I  can  remember.  The  little  pre 
scription-book  was  the  match  that  lit  the  fire !  but 
I  have  been  wishing  to  tell  you  all  the  evening." 

"  We  must  ask  Marilla,"  the  doctor  began  to 
say,  and  tried  to  add,  "  What  will  she  think  ?  " 
but  Nan  hardly  heard  him,  and  did  not  laugh  at 
his  jokes.  For  she  saw  by  his  face  that  there  was 
no  need  of  teasing.  And  she  assured  herself  that 
if  he  thought  it  was  only  a  freak  of  which  she 


174  A   COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

would  soon  tire,  she  was  quite  willing  to  be  ptit  to 
the  proof. 

Next  morning,  for  a  wonder,  Nan  waked  eaily, 
even  before  the  birds  had  quite  done  singing,  and 
it  seemed  a  little  strange  that  the  weather  should 
be  clear  and  bright,  and  almost  like  June,  since 
she  was  a  good  deal  troubled. 

She  felt  at  first  as  if  there  were  some  unwelcome 
duty  in  her  day's  work,  and  then  remembered  the 
early  drive  with  great  pleasure,  but  the  next  min 
ute  the  great  meaning  and  responsibility  of  the  de 
cision  she  had  announced  the  evening  before  burst 
upon  her  mind,  and  a  flood  of  reasons  assailed  her 
why  she  should  not  keep  to  so  uncommon  a  pur 
pose.  It  seemed  to  her  as  if  the  first  volume  of 
life  was  ended,  and  as  if  it  had  been  deceitfully 
easy,  since  she  had  been  led  straight-forward  to 
this  point.  It  amazed  her  to  find  the  certainty 
take  possession  of  her  mind  that  her  vocation  had 
been  made  ready  for  her  from  the  beginning.  She 
had  the  feeling  of  a  reformer,  a  radical,  and  even 
of  a  political  agitator,  as  she  tried  to  face  her 
stormy  future  in  that  summer  morning  loneliness. 
But  by  the  time  she  had  finished  her  early  break 
fast,  and  was  driving  out  of  the  gate  with  the 
doctor,  the  day  seemed  so  much  like  other  days 
that  her  trouble  of  mind  almost  disappeared. 
Though  she  had  known  instinctively  that  all  the 
early  part  of  her  life  had  favored  this  daring 
project,  and  the  next  few  years  would  hinder  it 


AGAINST  THE    WIND.  175 

if  they  could,  still  there  was  something  within 
her  stronger  than  any  doubts  that  could  possibly 
assail  her.  And  instead  of  finding  everything 
changed,  as  one  always  expects  to  do  when  a  great 
change  has  happened  to  one's  self,  the  road  was  so 
familiar,  and  the  condition  of  the  outer  world  so 
harmonious,  that  she  hardly  understood  that  she 
had  opened  a  gate  and  shut  it  behind  her,  between 
that  day  and  its  yesterday.  She  held  the  reins, 
and  the  doctor  was  apparently  in  a  most  common 
place  frame  of  mind.  She  wished  he  would  say 
something  about  their  talk  of  the  night  before,  but 
he  did  not.  She  seemed  very  old  to  herself,  older 
than  she  ever  would  seem  again,  perhaps,  but  the 
doctor  had  apparently  relapsed  into  their  old  rela 
tions  as  guardian  and  child.  Perhaps  he  thought 
she  would  forget  her  decision,  and  did  not  know 
how  much  it  meant  to  her.  He  was  quite  provok 
ing.  He  hurried  the  horse  himself  as  they  went 
up  a  somewhat  steep  ascent,  and  as  Nan  touched 
the  not  very  fleet  steed  with  the  whip  on  the  next 
level  bit  of  road,  she  was  reminded  that  it  was  a 
very  hot  morning  and  that  they  had  a  great  way 
to  drive.  When  she  asked  what  was  the  matter 
with  the  patient  they  were  on  their  way  to  see,  she 
was  answered  abruptly  that  he  suffered  from  a 
complication  of  disorders,  which  was  the  more 
aggravating  because  Nan  had  heard  this  answer 
laughed  at  as  being  much  used  by  old  Dr.  Jack 
son,  who  was  usually  unwilling  or  unable  to  com 
mit  himself  to  a  definite  opinion.  Nan  fancied 


176  A    COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

herself  at  tJiat  minute  already  a  member  of  the 
profession,  and  did  not  like  to  be  joked  with  in 
such  a  fashion,  but  she  tried  to  be  amused,  which 
generosity  was  appreciated  by  her  companion  bet 
ter  than  she  knew. 

Dr.  Leslie  was  not  much  of  a  singer,  but  he 
presently  lifted  what  little  voice  he  had,  and  be 
gan  to  favor  Nan  with  a  not  very  successful  ren 
dering  of  "Bonny  Doon."  Every  minute  seemed 
more  critical  to  the  girl  beside  him,  and  she 
thought  of  several  good  ways  to  enter  upon  a  dis 
cussion  of  her  great  subject,  but  with  unusual 
restraint  and  reserve  let  the  moments  and  the 
miles  go  by  until  the  doctor  had  quickly  stepped 
down  from  the  carriage  and  disappeared  within 
his  patient's  door.  Nan's  old  custom  of  follow 
ing  him  had  been  neglected  for  some  time,  since 
she  had  found  that  the  appearance  of  a  tall  young 
woman  had  quite  a  different  effect  upon  a  house 
hold  from  that  of  a  little  child.  She  had  formed 
the  habit  of  carrying  a  book  with  her  on  the 
long  drives,  though  she  often  left  it  untouched 
while  she  walked  up  and  down  the  country  roads, 
or  even  ventured  upon  excursions  as  far  afield  as 
she  dared,  while  the  doctor  made  his  visit,  which 
was  apt  to  be  a  long  one  in  the  lonely  country 
houses.  This  morning  she  had  possessed  herself 
of  a  square,  thin  volume  which  gave  lists  and 
plates  of  the  nerve  system  of  the  human  body. 
The  doctor  had  nearly  laughed  aloud  when  he 
caught  sight  of  it,  and  when  Nan  opened  it  with 


AGAINST  THE    WIND.  177 

decision  and  gravity  and  read  the  first  page  slowly, 
she  was  conscious  of  a  lack  of  interest  in  her  sub 
ject.  She  had  lost  the  great  enthusiasm  of  the 
night  before,  and  felt  like  the  little  heap  of  ashes 
which  such  a  burning  and  heroic  self  might  well 
have  left. 

Presently  she  went  strolling  down  the  road,  gath 
ering  some  large  leaves  on  her  way,  and  stopped 
at  the  brook,  where  she  pulled  up  some  bits  of  a 
strange  water-weed,  and  made  them  into  a  damp, 
round  bundle  with  the  leaves  and  a  bit  of  string. 
This  was  a  rare  plant  which  they  had  both  no 
ticed  the  day  before,  and  they  had  taken  some 
specimens  then,  Nan  being  at  this  time  an  ardent 
botanist,  but  these  had  withered  and  been  lost, 
also,  on  the  way  home. 

Dr.  Leslie  was  in  even  less  of  a  hurry  than 
usual,  and  when  he  came  out  he  looked  very  much 
pleased.  "  I  never  was  more  thankful  in  my 
life,"  he  said  eagerly,  as  soon  as  he  was  within 
convenient  distance.  "  That  poor  fellow  was  at 
death's  door  yesterday,  and  when  I  saw  his  wife 
and  little  children,  and  thought  his  life  was  all 
that  stood  between  them  and  miserable  destitu 
tion,  it  seemed  to  me  that  I  must  save  it !  This 
morning  he  is  as  bright  as  a  dollar,  but  I  have 
been  dreading  to  go  into  that  house  ever  since 
I  left  it  yesterday  noon.  They  didn't  in  the 
least  know  how  narrow  a  chance  he  had.  And 
it  is  n't  the  first  time  I  have  been  chief  mourner. 
Poor  souls  !  they  don't  dread  their  troubles  half 


178  A    COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

so  much  as  I  do.  He  will  have  a  good  little  farm 
here  in  another  year  or  two,  it  only  needs  drain 
ing  to  be  excellent  land,  and  he  knows  that." 
The  doctor  turned  and  looked  back  over  the  few 
acres  with  great  pleasure.  "  Now  we  '11  go  and 
see  about  old  Mrs.  Willet,  though  I  don't  believe 
there  's  any  great  need  of  it.  She  belongs  to  one 
of  two  very  bad  classes  of  patients.  It  makes 
me  so  angry  to  hear  her  cough  twice  as  much 
as  need  be.  In  your  practice,"  he  continued  so 
berly,  "you  must  remember  that  there  is  danger 
of  giving  too  strong  doses  to  such  a  sufferer,  and 
too  light  ones  to  the  friends  who  insist  there  is 
nothing  the  matter  with  them.  I  would  n't  give 
much  for  a  doctor  who  can't  see  for  himself  in 
most  cases,  but  not  always,  —  not  always." 

The  doctor  was  in  such  a  hospitable  frame  of 
mind  that  nobody  could  have  helped  telling  him 
anything,  and  happily  he  made  an  excellent  in 
troduction  for  Nan's  secret  by  inquiring  how  she 
had  got  on  with  her  studies,  but  she  directed  his 
attention  to  the  wet  plants  in  the  bottom  of  the 
carriage,  which  were  complimented  before  she 
said,  a  minute  afterward,  "  Oh,  I  wonder  if  I  shall 
make  a  mistake  ?  I  was  afraid  you  would  laugh 
at  me,  and  think  it  was  all  nonsense." 

"  Dear  me,  no,"  replied  the  doctor.  "  Yon  will 
be  the  successor  of  Mrs.  Martin  Dyer,  and  the 
admiration  of  the  neighborhood;"  but  changing 
his  tone  quickly,  he  said  :  "  I  am  going  to  teach 
you  all  I  can,  just  as  long  as  you  have  any  wish 


AGAINST  THE    WIND.  179 

to  learn.  It  has  not  done  you  a  bit  of  harm  to 
know  something  about  medicine,  and  I  believe  in 
your  studying  it  more  than  you  do  yourself.  I 
have  always  thought  about  it.  But  you  are  very 
young ;  there  's  plenty  of  time,  and  I  don't  mean 
to  be  hurried  ;  you  must  remember  that, —  though 
I  see  your  fitness  and  peculiar  adaptability  a  great 
deal  better  than  you  can  these  twenty  years  yet. 
You  will  be  growing  happier  these  next  few  years 
at  any  rate,  however  impossible  life  has  seemed 
to  you  lately." 

"  I  suppose  there  will  be  a  great  many  obsta 
cles,"  reflected  Nan,  with  an  absence  of  her  usual 
spirit. 

"Obstacles !  Yes,"  answered  Dr.  Leslie,  vigor 
ously.  "  Of  course  there  will  be ;  it  is  climbing 
a  long  hill  to  try  to  study  medicine  or  to  study 
anything  else.  And  if  you  are  going  to  fear  ob 
stacles  you  will  have  a  poor  chance  at  success. 
There  are  just  as  many  reasons  as  you  will  stop 
to  count  up  why  you  should  not  do  your  plain 
duty,  but  if  you  are  going  to  make  anything  of 
yourself  you  must  go  straight  ahead,  taking  it  for 
granted  that  there  will  be  opposition  enough,  but 
doing  what  is  right  all  the  same.  I  suppose  I 
have  repeated  to  you  fifty  times  what  old  Friend 
Meadows  told  me  years  ago  ;  he  was  a  great  suc 
cess  at  money-making,  and  once  I  asked  him  to 
give  me  some  advice  about  a  piece  of  property. 
*•  Friend  Leslie,'  says  he,  4  thy  own  opinion  is  the 
best  for  thee ;  if  thee  asks  ten  people  what  to 


180  A    COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

do,  they  will  tell  thee  ten  things,  and  then  thee 
does  n't  know  as  much  as  when  thee  set  out,' ' 
and  Dr.  Leslie,  growing  very  much  in  earnest, 
reached  forward  for  the  whip.  "  I  want  you  to 
be  a  good  woman,  and  I  want  you  to  be  all  the 
use  you  can,"  he  said.  "  It  seems  to  me  like  steal 
ing,  for  men  and  women  to  live  in  the  world  and 
do  nothing  to  make  it  better.  You  have  thought 
a  great  deal  about  this,  and  so  have  I,  and  now 
we  will  do  the  best  we  can  at  making  a  good  doc 
tor  of  you.  I  don't  care  whether  people  think  it 
is  a  proper  vocation  for  women  or  not.  It  seems 
to  me  that  it  is  more  than  proper  for  yon,  and 
God  has  given  you  a  fitness  for  it  which  it  is  a 
shame  to  waste.  And  if  you  ever  hesitate  and 
regret  what  you  have  said,  you  won't  have  done 
yourself  any  harm  by  learning  how  to  take  care 
of  your  own  health  and  other  people's." 

"  But  I  shall  never  regret  it,"  said  Nan  stoutly. 
"  I  don't  believe  I  should  ever  be  fit  for  anything 
else,  and  you  know  as  well  as  I  that  I  must  have 
something  to  do.  I  used  to  wish  over  and  over 

/again  that  I  was  a  boy,  when  I  was  a  little  thing 
down  at  the  farm,  and  the  only  reason  I  had  in 
the  world  was  that  I  could  be  a  doctor,  like  you." 
44  Better  than  that,  I  hope,"  said  Dr.  Leslie. 
"  But  you  must  n't  think  it  will  be  a  short  piece 
of  work  ;  it  will  take  more  patience  than  you  are 
ready  to  give  just  now,  and  we  will  go  on  quietly 
and  let  it  grow  by  the  way,  like  your  water-weed 
nere.  If  you  don't  drive  a  little  faster,  Sister 


AGAINST  THE    WIND.  181 

Willet  may  be  gathered  before  we  get  to  her  ;  " 
and  this  being  a  somewhat  unwise  and  hysterical 
patient,  whose  recovery  was  not  in  the  least  de 
spaired  of,  Dr.  Leslie  and  his  young  companion 
were  heartlessly  merry  over  her  case. 

The  doctor  had  been  unprepared  for  such  an 
episode  ;  outwardly,  life  had  seemed  to  flow  so 
easily  from  one  set  of  circumstances  to  the  next, 
and  the  changes  had  been  so  gradual  and  so  nat 
ural.  He  had  looked  forward  with  such  certainty 
to  Nan's  future,  that  it  seemed  strange  that  the 
formal  acceptance  of  such  an  inevitable  idea  as 
her  studying  medicine  should  have  troubled  her 
so  much. 

Separated  as  he  was  from  the  groups  of  men 
and  women  who  are  responsible  for  what  we  call 
the  opinion  of  society,  and  independent  himself 
of  any  fettering  conventionalities,  he  had  grown 
careless  of  what  anybody  might  say.  He  only 
hoped,  since  his  ward  had  found  her  proper  work, 
that  she  would  hold  to  it,  and  of  this  he  had  little 
doubt.  The  girl  herself  quickly  lost  sight  of  the 
fancied  difficulty  of  making  the  great  decision, 
and,  as  is  usually  the  case,  saw  all  the  first  objec 
tions  and  hindrances  fade  away  into  a  dim  dis 
tance,  and  grow  less  and  less  noticeable.  And 
more  than  that,  it  seemed  to  her  as  if  she  had 
taken  every  step  of  her  life  straight  toward  this 
choice  of  a  profession.  So  many  things  she  had 
never  understood  before,  now  became  perfectly 
clear  and  evident  proofs  that,  outside  her  own 


182  A    COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

preferences  and  choices,  a  wise  purpose  had  been 
at  work  with  her  and  for  her.  So  it  all  appeared 
more  natural  every  day,  and  while  she  knew  that 
the  excitement  and  formality  of  the  first  very  un 
comfortable  day  or  two  had  proved  her  freedom 
of  choice,  it  seemed  the  more  impossible  that  she 
should  have  shirked  this  great  commission  and 
trust  for  which  nature  had  fitted  her. 


XIII. 

A  STRAIGHT   COURSE. 

THE  next  year  or  two  was  spent  in  quiet  Jife 
at  home.  It  was  made  evident  that,  beside  her 
inclination  and  natural  fitness  for  her  chosen  work, 
our  student  was  also  developing  the  other  most 
important  requisite,  a  capacity  for  hard  study  and 
patient  continuance.  There  had  been  as  little 
said  as  possible  about  the  plan,  but  it  was  not. 
long  before  the  propriety  of  it  became  a  favorite 
subject  of  discussion.  It  is  quite  unnecessary,  per 
haps,  to  state  that  everybody  had  his  or  her  own 
opinion  of  the  wisdom  of  such  a  course,  and  both 
Dr.  Leslie  and  his  ward  suffered  much  reproacli 
and  questioning,  as  the  comments  ranged  from 
indignation  to  amusement.  But  it  was  as  true  of 
Nan's  calling,  as  of  all  others,  that  it  would  be  her 
own  failure  to  make  it  respected  from  which  any 
just  contempt  might  come,  and  she  had  thrown 
herself  into  her  chosen  career  with  such  zeal,  and 
pride,  and  affectionate  desire  to  please  her  teacher, 
that  the  small  public  who  had  at  first  jeered  or 
condemned  her  came  at  last  to  accepting  the  thing 
as  inevitable  and  a  matter  of  course,  even  if  they 
did  not  actually  approve.  There  was  such  a  vig- 


184  A    COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

orous  determination  in  the  minds  of  the  doctor  and 
his  pupil  that  Nan  should  not  only  be  a  doctor 
but  a  good  one,  that  anything  less  than  a  decided 
fitness  for  the  profession  would  have  doomed  them 
both  to  disappointment,  even  with  such  unwea 
ried  effort  and  painstaking.  In  the  earlier  years 
of  his  practice  Dr.  Leslie  had  been  much  sought 
as  an  instructor,  but  he  had  long  since  begun  to 
deny  the  young  men  who  had  wished  to  be  his 
students,  though  hardly  one  had  ever  gone  from 
the  neighborhood  of  Oldfields  who  did  not  owe 
much  to  him  for  his  wise  suggestions  and  practical 
help. 

He  patiently  taught  this  eager  young  scholar 
day  by  day,  and  gave  her,  as  fast  as  he  could,  the 
benefit  of  the  wisdom  which  he  had  gained  through 
faithful  devotion  to  his  business  and  the  persis 
tent  study  of  many  years.  Nan  followed  step 
by  step,  and,  while  becoming  more  conscious  of 
her  own  ignorance  and  of  the  uncertainties  and 
the  laws  of  the  practice  of  medicine  with  every 
week's  study,  knew  better  and  better  that  it  is 
resource,  and_bravery,  and  being  able  to  think  fot 
one's  self,  that  make  a  physician  worth  anything. 
There  must  be  an  instinct  that  recognizes  a  dis= 
ease  and  suggests  Its  remedy,  as  much  as  an  in* 
stinct  that  finds  the  right  notes  and  harmonies  for 
a  composer  of  music,  or  the  colors  for  a  true  ar 
tist's  picture,  or  the  results  of  figures  for  a  mathe~ 
matician.  Men  and  women  may  learn  these  call 
ings  from  others ;  may  practice  all  the  combinations 


A  STRAIGHT  COURSE.  185 

until  they  can  carry  them  through  with  a  greater 
or  less  degree  of  unconsciousness  of  brain  and  fin 
gers  ;  but  there  is  something  needed  beside  even 
drill  and  experience ;  every  student  of  medicine 
should  be  fitted  by  nature  with  a  power  of  insight, 
a  gift  for  his  business,  for  knowing  wHatjs  the  right 
tiling  to  do,  and- the  right  time  and  way  to  do 
it;  must  have  this  God-given  power  in  his  own 
nature  of  using  and  discovering  the  resources  of 
medicine  without  constant  reliance  upon  the  books 
or  the  fashion.  Some  men  use  their  ability  for 
their  own  good  and  renown,  and  some  think  first 
of  the  good  of  others,  and  as  the  great  poet  tells 
the  truths  of  God,  and  makes  other  souls  wiser 
and  stronger  and  fitter  for  action,  so  the  great 
doctor  works  for  the  body's  health,  and  tries  to 
keep  human  beings  free  from  the  failures  that 
come  from  neglect  and  ignorance,  and  ready  to 
be  the  soul's  instrument  of  action  and  service  in 
this  world.  It  is  not  to  keep  us  from  death,  it  is 
no  superstitious  avoidance  of  the  next  life,  that 
should  call  loudest  for  the  physician's  skill ;  but 
the  necessity  of  teaching  and  remedying  the  infe 
rior  bodies  which  have  come  to  us  through  either 
our  ancestors'  foolishness  or  our  own.  So  few 
people  know  even  what  true  and  complete  phys 
ical  life  is,  much  less  anything  of  the  spiritual 
existence  that  is  already  possible,  and  so  few  lis 
ten  to  what  the  best  doctors  are  trying  their  be»t 
to  teach.  While  half -alive  people  think  it  no 
wrong  to  bring  into  the  world  human  beings  with 


186  A   COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

even  less  vitality  than  themselves,  and  take  no 
pains  to  keep  the  simplest  laws  of  health,  or  to 
teach  their  children  to  do  so,  just  so  long  there 
will  be  plenty  of  sorrow  of  an  avoidable  kind,  and 
thousands  of  shipwrecked,  and  failing,  and  inade 
quate,  and  useless  lives  in  the  fullest  sense  of  the 
word.  How  can  those  who  preach  to  the  soul 
hope  to  be  heard  by  those  who  do  not  even  make 
the  best  of  their  bodies?  but  alas,  the  conven 
ience  and  easiness,  or  pleasure,  of  the  present  mo 
ment  is  allowed  to  become  the  cause  of  an  endless 
series  of  terrible  effects,  which  go  down  into  the 
distance  of  the  future,  multiplying  themselves  a 
thousandfold. 

The  doctor  told  Nan  many  curious  things  as 
they  drove  about  together :  certain  traits  of  certain 
families,  and  how  the  Dyers  were  of  strong  con 
stitution,  and  lived  to  a  great  age  in  spite  of  severe 
illnesses  and  accidents  and  all  manner  of  unfavor 
able  conditions  ;  while  the  Dunnells,  who  looked  a 
great  deal  stronger,  were  sensitive,  and  deficient  in 
vitality,  so  that  an  apparently  slight  attack  of  dis 
ease  quickly  proved  fatal.  And  so  Nan  knew  that 
one  thing  to  be  considered  was  the  family,  and 
another  the  individual  variation,  and  she  began  to 
recognize  the  people  who  might  be  treated  fear 
lessly,  because  they  were  safe  to  form  a  league 
with  against  any  ailment,  being  responsive  to 
medicines,  and  straightforward  in  their  departure 
from  or  return  to  a  state  of  health  ;  others  being 
treacherous  and  hard  to  control ;  full  of  surprises, 


A   STRAIGHT  COURSE.  187 

and  baffling  a  doctor  with  their  feints  and  follies 
of  symptoms ;  while  all  the  time  Death  himself 
was  making  ready  for  a  last,  fatal  siege;  these 
all  being  the  representatives  of  types  which  might 
be  found  everywhere.  Often  Dr.  Leslie  would  be 
found  eagerly  praising  some  useful  old-fashioned 
drugs  which  had  been  foolishly  neglected  by  those 
who  liked  to  experiment  with  newer  remedies 
and  be  "up  with  the  times,"  as  they  called  their 
not  very  intelligent  dependence  upon  the  treatment 
in  vogue  at  the  moment  among  the  younger  men 
of  certain  cliques,  to  some  of  whom  the  brilliant 
operation  was  more  important  than  its  damaging 
result.  There  was,  even  in  those  days,  a  haphaz 
ard  way  of  doctoring,  in  which  the  health  of  the 
patient  was  secondary  to  the  promotion  of  new 
theories,  and  the  young  scholar  who  could  write 
a  puzzlingly  technical  paper  too  often  outranked 
the  old  practitioner  who  conquered  some  malig 
nant  disorder  single-handed,  where  even  the  mal 
practice  of  the  patient  and  his  friends  had  stood 
like  a  lion  in  the  way. 

But  Dr.  Leslie  was  always  trying  to  get  at 
the  truth,  and  nobody  recognized  more  clearly  the 
service  which  the  reverent  and  truly  progressive 
younger  men  were  rendering  to  the  profession. 
He  added  many  new  publications  to  his  sub 
scription  list,  and  gleaned  here  and  there  those 
notes  which  he  knew  would  be  helpful,  and  which 
were  suited  to  the  degree  of  knowledge  which 
his  apprentice  had  already  gained.  It  is  need- 


188  A    COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

less  to  say  what  pleasure  it  gave  him,  and  what 
evening  talks  they  had  together ;  what  histories 
of  former  victories  and  defeats  and  curious  dis 
coveries  were  combined,  like  a  bit  of  novel-read 
ing,  with  Nan's  diligent  devotion  to  her  course 
of  study.  And  presently  the  girl  would  take  a 
step  or  two  alone,  and  even  make  a  visit  by  her 
self  to  see  if  anything  chanced  to  be  needed  when 
a  case  was  progressing  favorably,  and  with  the 
excuse  of  the  doctor's  business  or  over-fatigue. 
And  the  physicians  of  the  neighboring  towns,  who 
came  together  occasionally  for  each  other's  assist 
ance,  most  of  whom  had  known  Nan  from  her 
childhood,  though  at  first  they  had  Shrunk  from 
speaking  of  many  details  of  their  professional 
work  in  her  hearing,  and  covered  their  meaning, 
like  the  ostriches'  heads,  in  the  sand  of  a  Latin 
cognomen,  were  soon  set  at  their  ease  by  Nan's 
unconsciousness  of  either  shamefacedness  or  dis 
gust,  and  one  by  one  grew  interested  in  her  career, 
and  hopeful  of  her  success. 

It  is  impossible  to  describe  the  importance  of 
such  experiences  as  these  in  forming  the  character 
of  the  young  girl's  power  of  resource,  and  wealth 
of  self-reliance  and  practical  experience.  Some 
times  in  houses  where  she  would  have  felt  at 
least  liberty  to  go  only  as  spectator  and  scholar  of 
medicine,  Dr.  Leslie  insisted  upon  establishing  her 
for  a  few  days  as  chief  nurse  and  overseer,  and 
before  Nan  had  been  at  work  many  months  her 
teacher  found  her  of  great  use,  and  grew  more 


A   STRAIGHT   COURSE.  189 

proud  and  glad  day  by  day  as  he  watched  her  de 
termination,  her  enthusiasm,  and  her  excellent 
progress.  Over  and  over  again  he  said  to  himself, 
or  to  her,  that  she  was  doing  the  work  for  which 
nature  had  meant  her,  and  when  the  time  came 
for  her  to  go  away  from  Oldfields,  it  seemed  more 
impossible  than  it  ever  had  before  that  he  should 
get  on  without  her,  at  home,  or  as  an  independent 
human  being,  who  was  following  reverently  in  the 
path  he  had  chosen  so  many  years  before.  For 
her  sake  he  had  reached  out  again  toward  many 
acquaintances  from  whom  he  had  drifted  away, 
and  he  made  many  short  journeys  to  Boston  or  to 
New  York,  and  was  pleased  at  his  hearty  welcome 
back  to  the  medical  meetings  he  had  hardly  en 
tered  during  so  many  years.  He  missed  not  a 
few  old  friends,  but  he  quickly  made  new  ones. 
He  was  vastly  pleased  when  the  younger  men 
seemed  glad  to  hear  him  speak,  and  it  was  often 
proved  that  either  through  study  or  experience  he 
had  caught  at  some  fresh  knowledge  of  which  his 
associates  were  still  ignorant.  He  had  laughingly 
accused  himself  of  being  a  rusty  country  doctor 
and  old  fogy  who  had  not  kept  up  with  the  times; 
but  many  a  letter  followed  him  home,  with  thanks 
for  some  helpful  suggestion  or  advice  as  to  the 
management  of  a  troublesome  case.  He  was  too 
far  away  to  give  room  for  any  danger  of  profes 
sional  jealousy,  or  for  the  infringement  of  that  ever 
lengthening  code  of  etiquette  so  important  to  the 
sensitive  medical  mind.  Therefore  he  had  only 


190  A   COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

much  pleasure  and  a  fine  tribute  of  recognition  and 
honor,  and  he  smiled  more  than  once  as  he  sat  in 
the  quiet  Oldfields  study  before  the  fire,  and  looked 
up  at  Captain  Finch's  little  ship,  and  told  Nan  of 
his  town  experiences,  not  always  omitting,  though 
attempting  to  deprecate,  the  compliments,  in  some 
half -hour  when  they  were  on  peculiarly  good 
terms  with  each  other.  And  Nan  believed  there 
could  be  no  better  doctor  in  the  world,  and  stoutly 
told  him  so,  and  yet  listened  only  half-convinced 
when  he  said  that  he  had  a  great  mind  to  go  to 
town  and  open  an  office,  and  make  a  specialty  of 
treating  diseases  of  the  heart,  since  everybody  had 
a  specialty  nowadays.  He  never  felt  so  ready  for 
practice  as  now,  but  Nan  somehow  could  not  bear 
the  thought  of  his  being  anywhere  but  in  his 
home.  For  herself,  she  would  have  been  ready  to 
venture  anything  if  it  would  further  her  ever-grow 
ing  purpose ;  but  that  Dr.  Leslie  should  begin  a 
new  career  or  contest  with  the  world  seemed  impos 
sible.  He  was  not  so  strong  as  he  used  to  be,  and 
he  was  already  famous  among  his  fellows.  She 
would  help  him  with  his  work  by  and  by  even 
more  than  now,  and  her  own  chosen  calling  of  a 
country  doctor  was  the  dearer  to  her,  because  he 
had  followed  it  so  gallantly  before  her  loving  and 
admiring  eyes.  But  Dr.  Leslie  built  many  a  castle 
in  the  air,  with  himself  and  a  great  city  practice 
for  tenants,  and  said  that  it  would  be  a  capital 
thing  for  Nan  ;  she  could  go  on  with  it  alone  by 
and  by.  It  was  astonishing  how  little  some  of  the 


A  STRAIGHT  COURSE.  191 

city  doctors  knew:  they  relied  upon  each  other 
too  much  ;  they  should  all  be  forced  to  drive  over 
hill  and  dale,  and  be  knocked  about  in  a  hard 
country  practice  for  eight  or  ten  years  before  they 
went  to  town.  "  Plenty  of  time  to  read  their 
books  in  June  and  January,"  the  doctor  would 
grumble  to  himself,  and  turn  to  look  fondly  at  the 
long  rows  of  his  dear  library  acquaintances,  his 
Braifchwaites  and  Lancets,  and  their  younger 
brothers,  beside  the  first  new  Sydenham  Society's 
books,  with  their  clumsy  blot  of  gilding.  And 
he  would  stand  sometimes  with  his  hands  behind 
him  and  look  at  the  many  familiar  rows  of  brown 
leather-covered  volumes,  most  of  them  delight 
fully  worn  with  his  own  use  and  that  of  the  other 
physicians  whose  generous  friend  and  constant 
instructor  he  had  been  through  years  of  sometimes 
stormy  but  usually  friendly  intercourse  and  asso 
ciation. 

When  people  in  general  had  grown  tired  of 
discussing  this  strange  freak  and  purpose  of  the 
doctor  and  his  ward,  and  had  become  familiar 
with  Nan's  persistent  interest  and  occupation 
in  her  studies,  there  came  a  time  of  great  discon 
tent  to  the  two  persons  most  concerned.  For  it 
was  impossible  to  disguise  the  fact  that  the  time 
had  again  come  for  the  girl  to  go  away  from  home. 
They  had  always  looked  forward  to  this,  and 
directed  much  thought  and  action  toward  it,  and 
yet  they  decided  with  great  regret  upon  setting  a 
new  train  of  things  in  motion. 


192  A    COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

While  it  was  well  enough  and  useful  enough 
that  Nan  should  go  on  with  her  present  mode  of 
life,  they  both  had  a  wider  outlook,  and  though 
with  the  excuse  of  her  youthfulness  they  had  put 
off  her  departure  as  long  as  possible,  still  almost 
without  any  discussion  it  was  decided  that  she  must 
enter  the  medical  school  to  go  through  with  its 
course  of  instruction  formally,  and  receive  its  au 
thority  to  practice  her  profession.  They  both 
felt  that  this  held  a  great  many  unpleasantnesses 
among  its  store  of  benefits.  Nan  was  no  longer 
to  be  shielded  and  protected  and  guided  by  some 
one  whose  wisdom  she  rarely  questioned,  but  must 
make  her  own  decisions  instead,  and  give  from  her 
own  bounty,  and  stand  in  her  lot  and  place.  Her 
later  school-days  were  sure  to  be  more  trying  than 
her  earlier  ones,  as  they  carried  her  into  deeper 
waters  of  scholarship,  and  were  more  important  to 
her  future  position  before  the  public. 

If  a  young  man  plans  the  same  course,  every 
thing  conspires  to  help  him  and  forward  him,  and 
the  very  fact  of  his  having  chosen  one  of  the 
learned  professions  gives  him  a  certain  social 
preeminence  and  dignity.  But  in  the  days  of 
Nan's  student  life  it  was  just  the  reverse.  Though 
she  had  been  directed  toward  such  a  purpose  en 
tirely  by  her  singular  talent,  instead  of  by  the 
motives  of  expediency  which  rule  the  decisions 
of  a  large  proportion  of  the  young  men  who  study 
medicine,  she  found  little  encouragement  either 
from  the  quality  of  the  school  or  the  interest  of 


A  STRAIGHT  COURSE.  193 

society  in  general.  There  were  times  when  she 
actually  resented  the  prospect  of  the  many  weeks 
which  she  must  spend  in  listening  to  inferior 
instruction  before  gaining  a  diploma,  which  was 
only  a  formal  seal  of  disapproval  in  most  persons' 
eyes.  And  yet,  when  she  remembered  her  per 
fect  certainty  that  she  was  doing  the  right  thing, 
and  remembered  what  renown  some  women  phy 
sicians  had  won,  and  the  avenues  of  usefulness 
which  lay  open  to  her  on  every  side,  there  was  no 
real  drawing  back,  but  rather  a  proud  certainty  of 
her  most  womanly  and  respectable  calling,  and  a 
reverent  desire  to  make  the  best  use  possible  of 
the  gifts  God  had  certainly  not  made  a  mistake 
in  giving  her.  "  If  He  meant  I  should  be  a  doc 
tor,"  the  girl  told  herself,  "  the  best  thing  I  can 
do  is  to  try  to  be  a  good  one." 

So  Nan  packed  her  boxes  and  said  good-by  to 
Mrs.  Graham,  who  looked  wistful  and  doubtful, 
but  blessed  her  most  heartily,  saying  she  should 
miss  her  sadly  in  the  winter.  And  Marilla,  who  had 
unexpectedly  reserved  her  opinion  of  late,  made 
believe  that  she  was  very  busy  in  the  pantry,  just 
as  she  had  done  when  Nan  was  being  launched  for 
boarding-school.  She  shook  her  own  floury  hands 
vigorously,  and  offered  one  at  last,  muffled  in  her 
apron,  and  wished  our  friend  good  luck,  with  con 
siderable  friendliness,  mentioning  that  she  should 
be  glad  if  Nan  would  say  when  she  wrote  home 
what  shapes  they  seemed  to  be  wearing  for  bon 
nets  in  the  city,  though  she  supposed  they  would 

13 


194  A   COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

be  flaunting  *for  Oldfields  anyway.  The  doctor 
was  going  too,  and  they  started  for  the  station 
much  too  early  for  the  train,  since  Dr.  Leslie 
always  suffered  from  a  nervous  dread  of  having 
an  unavoidable  summons  to  a  distant  patient  at 
the  last  moment. 

And  when  the  examinations  were  over,  and 
Nan  had  been  matriculated,  and  the  doctor  had 
someAvhat  contemptuously  overlooked  the  building 
and  its  capabilities,  and  had  compared  those  stu 
dents  whom  he  saw  with  his  remembrance  of  his 
own  class,  and  triumphantly  picked  out  a  face 
and  figure  that  looked  hopeful  here  and  there ;  he 
told  himself  that  like  all  new  growths  it  was  feeble 
yet,  and  needed  girls  like  his  Nan,  with  high  moral 
purpose  and  excellent  capacity,  who  would  make 
the  college  strong  and  to  be  respected.  Not  such 
doctors  as  several  of  whom  he  reminded  himself, 
who  were  disgracing  their  sex,  but  those  whose 
lives  were  ruled  by  a  pettiness  of  detail,  a  lack  of 
power,  and  an  absence  of  high  aim.  Somehow 
both  our  friends  lost  much  of  the  feeling  that  Nan 
was  doing  a  peculiar  thing,  when  they  saw  so 
many  others  following  the  same  path.  And  hav 
ing  seen  Nan  more  than  half-settled  in  her  winter 
quarters,  and  knowing  that  one  or  two  of  her  for 
mer  school  friends  had  given  her  a  delighted  and 
most  friendly  welcome,  and  having  made  a  few 
visits  to  the  people  whom  he  fancied  would  help 
her  in  one  way  or  another,  Dr.  Leslie  said  good- 
by,  and  turned  his  face  homeward,  feeling  more 


A  STRAIGHT  COURSE.  195 

lonely  than  he  had  felt  in  a  great  many  years  be 
fore.  He  thought  about  Nan  a  great  deal  on  the 
journey,  though  he  had  provided  himself  with 
some  most  desirable  new  books.  He  was  thank 
ful  he  had  been  able  to  do  a  kind  turn  for  one  of 
the  most  influential  doctors,  who  had  cheerfully 
promised  to  put  some  special  advantages  in  Nan's 
way ;  but  when  he  reached  home  the  house  seemed 
very  empty,  and  he  missed  his  gay  companion  as 
he  drove  along  the  country  roads.  After  the  days 
began  to  grow  longer,  and  the  sun  brighter,  such 
pleasant  letters  came  from  the  absent  scholar,  that 
the  doctor  took  heart  more  and  more,  and  went 
over  to  Mrs.  Graham  with  almost  every  fresh  bit 
of  news.  She  smiled,  and  listened,  and  applauded, 
and  one  day  said  with  delightful  cordiality  that 
she  wished  there  were  more  girls  who  cared 
whether  their  lives  really  amounted  to  anything. 
But  not  every  one  had  a  talent  which  was  such  a 
stimulus  as  Nan's. 

"Nothing  succeeds  like  success,"  rejoined  the 
doctor  cheerfully,  "  I  always  knew  the  child  would 
do  the  best  she  could." 


XIV. 

MISS  PRINCE  OF  DUNPORT. 

WHILE  all  these  years  were  passing,  Miss  Anna 
Prince  the  elder  was  living  quietly  in  Dunport, 
and  she  had  changed  so  little  that  her  friends  fre 
quently  complimented  her  upon  such  continued 
youthfulness.  She  had  by  no  means  forgotten  the 
two  greatest  among  the  many  losses  and  sorrows 
of  her  life,  but  the  first  sharp  pain  of  them  was 
long  since  over  with.  The  lover  from  whom  she 
had  parted  for  the  sake  of  a  petty  misunderstand 
ing  had  married  afterward  and  died  early  ;  but 
he  had  left  a  son  of  whom  Miss  Prince  was  very 
proud  and  fond  ;  and  she  had  given  him  the  place 
in  her  heart  which  should  have  belonged  to  her 
own  niece.  When  she  thought  of  the  other  trial, 
she  believed  herself,  still,  more  sinned  against  than 
sinning,  and  gave  herself  frequent  assurances  that 
it  had  been  impossible  to  act  otherwise  at  the  time 
of  her  brother's  death  and  his  wife's  strange  be 
havior  afterward.  And  she  had  persuaded  her 
conscience  to  be  quiet,  until  at  last,  with  the  ideal 
of  a  suspicious,  uncongenial,  disagreeable  group 
of  rustics  in  her  mind,  she  thought  it  was  well  or 
dered  by  Heaven  that  she  had  been  spared  any 
closer  intercourse. 


MISS  PRINCE   OF  DUNPORT.  197 

Miss  Prince  was  a  proud  and  stately  woman 
of  the  old  New  England  type :  more  colonial  than 
American  perhaps,  and  quite  provincial  in  her 
traditions  and  prejudices.  She  was  highly  re 
spected  in  her  native  town,  where  she  was  a 
prominent  figure  in  society.  Nobody  was  more 
generous  and  kind  or  public  spirited,  as  her  friends 
often  said,  and  young  George  Gerry  was  well-re 
warded,  though  he  gave  her  great  pleasure  by  his 
evident  affection  and  interest.  He  liked  to  pay 
frequent  visits  to  his  old  friend,  and  to  talk  with 
her.  She  had  been  a  very  attractive  girl  long 
ago,  and  the  best  of  her  charms  had  not  faded 
yet ;  the  young  man  was  always  welcomed  warmly, 
and  had  more  than  once  been  helped  in  his  pro 
jects.  His  mother  was  a  feeble  woman,  who  took 
little  interest  in  anything  outside  her  own  doors ; 
and  he  liked  himself  better  as  he  sat  in  Miss 
Prince's  parlor  than  anywhere  else.  We  are  al 
ways  fond  of  the  society  of  our  best  selves,  and 
though  he  was  popular  with  the  rest  of  his  towns 
people,  he  somehow  could  not  help  trying  always 
to  be  especially  agreeable  to  Miss  Prince. 

Although  she  was  apparently  free  from  regrets, 
and  very  well  satisfied  with  life,  even  her  best 
friends  did  not  know  how  lonely  her  life  had 
seemed  to  her,  or  how  sadly  hurt  she  had  been  by 
the  shame  and  sorrow  of  her  only  brother's  mar 
riage.  The  thought  of  his  child  and  of  the  impos 
sibility  of  taking  her  to  her  heart  and  home  had 
been  like  a  nightmare  at  first,  and  yet  Miss  Prince 


198  A    COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

lacked  courage  to  break  down  the  barriers,  and  to 
at  least  know  the  worst.  She  kept  the  two  ideas 
of  the  actual  niece  and  the  ideal  one  whom  she 
might  have  loved  so  much  distinct  and  separate 
in  her  mind,  and  was  divided  between  a  longing 
to  see  the  girl  and  a  fierce  dread  of  her  sudden 
appearance.  She  had  forbidden  any  allusion  to 
the  subject  years  and  years  before,  and  so  had  pre 
vented  herself  from  hearing  good  news  as  well  as 
bad  ;  though  she  had  always  been  careful  that 
the  small  yearly  remittance  should  be  promptly 
sent,  and  was  impatient  to  receive  the  formal 
acknowledgment  of  it,  which  she  instantly  took 
pains  to  destroy.  She  sometimes  in  these  days 
thought  about  making  her  will ;  there  was  no 
hurry  about  it,  but  it  would  be  only  fair  to  provide 
for  her  nearest  of  kin,  while  she  was  always  cer 
tain  that  she  should  not  let  all  her  money  and  the 
old  house  with  its  handsome  furnishings  go  into 
such  unworthy  hands.  It  was  a  very  hard  question 
to  settle,  and  she  thought  of  it  as  little  as  possi 
ble,  and  was  sure  there  was  nothing  to  prevent  her 
living  a  great  many  years  yet.  She  loved  her  old 
home  dearly,  and  was  even  proud  of  it,  and  had  al 
ways  taken  great  care  of  the  details  of  its  govern 
ment.  She  never  had  been  foolish  enough  to  make 
away  with  her  handsome  mahogany  furniture, 
and  to  replace  it  with  cheaper  and  less  comforta 
ble  chairs  and  tables,  as  many  of  her  neighbors 
had  done,  and  had  taken  an  obstinate  satisfac 
tion  all  through  the  years  when  it  seemed  quite 


MISS  PRINCE   OF  DUNPORT.  199 

out  of  date,  in  insisting  upon  the  polishing  of  the 
fine  wood  and  the  many  brass  handles,  and  of  late 
she  had  been  reaping  a  reward  for  her  constancy. 
It  had  been  a  marvel  to  certain  progressive  people 
that  a  person  of  her  comfortable  estate  should  be 
willing  to  reflect  that  there  was  not  a  marble- 
topped  table  in  her  house,  until  it  slowly  dawned 
upon  them  at  last  that  she  was  mistress  of  the  fin 
est  house  in  town.  Outwardly,  it  was  painted 
white  and  stood  close  upon  the  street,  with  a  few 
steep  front  steps  coming  abruptly  down  into  the 
middle  of  the  narrow  sidewalk; -its  interior  was 
spacious  and  very  imposing,  not  only  for  the  time 
it  was  built  in  the  last  century,  but  for  any  other 
time.  Miss  Prince's  ancestors  had  belonged  to 
some  of  the  most  distinguished  among  the  colo 
nial  families,  which  fact  she  neither  appeared  to 
remember  nor  consented  to  forget ;  and,  as  often 
happened  in  the  seaport  towns  of  New  England, 
there  had  been  one  or  two  men  in  every  genera 
tion  who  had  followed  the  sea.  Her  own  father 
had  been  among  the  number,  and  the  closets  of 
the  old  house'  were  well  provided  with  rare  china 
and  fine  old  English  crockery  that  would  drive  an 
enthusiastic  collector  to  distraction.  The  carved 
woodwork  of  the  railings  find  wainscotings  and 
cornices  had  been  devised  by  ingenious  and  patient 
craftsmen,  and  the  same  portraits  and  old  engrav 
ings  hung  upon  the  walls  that  had  been  there 
when  its  mistress  could  first  remember.  She  had 
always  been  so  well  suited  with  her  home  that  she 


200  A    COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

had  never  desired  to  change  it  in  any  particular. 
Her  maids  were  well  drilled  to  their  duties,  and 
Priscilla,  who  was  chief  of  the  staff,  had  been  in 
that  dignified  position  for  many  years.  If  Miss 
Prince's  grandmother  could  return  to  Dunport 
from  another  world,  she  would  hardly  believe  that 
she  had  left  her .  earthly  home  for  a  day,  it  pre 
sented  so  nearly  the  same  appearance. 

But  however  conscientiously  the  effort  had  been 
made  to  keep  up  the  old  reputation  for  hospitality, 
it  had  somehow  been  a  failure,  and  Miss  Prince 
had  given  fewer  entertainments  every  year.  Long 
ago,  while  she  was  still  a  young  woman,  she  had 
begun  to  wear  a  certain  quaint  and  elderly  man 
ner,  which  might  have  come  from  association  with 
such  antiquated  household  gods  and  a  desire  to 
match  well  with  her  beloved  surroundings.  A 
great  many  of  her  early  friends  had  died,  and  she 
was  not  the  sort  of  person  who  can  easily  form 
new  ties  of  intimate  friendship.  She  was  very 
loyal  to  those  who  were  still  left,  and,  as  has  been 
said,  her  interest  in  George  Gerry,  who  was  his 
father's  namesake  and  likeness,  was  a  very  great 
pleasure  to  her.  Some  persons  liked  to  whisper 
together  now  and  then  about  the  mysterious  niece, 
who  was  never  mentiqned  otherwise.  But  though 
curiosity  had  led  to  a  partial  knowledge  of  our  he 
roine's  not  unfavorable  aspect  and  circumstances, 
nobody  ever  dared  to  give  such  information  to  the 
person  who  should  have  been  most  interested. 

This  was  one  of  the  standard  long  stories  of 


MISS  PRINCE  OF  DUN  PORT.  201 

Dunport  with  which  old  residents  liked  to  regale 
new-comers,  and  handsome  Jack  Prince  was  the 
hero  of  a  most  edifying  romance,  being  represented 
as  a  victim  of  the  Prince  pride,  as  his  sister  had 
been  before  him.  His  life  had  been  ruined,  and  he 
had  begged  his  wretched  wife  at  the  last  to  bring 
him  home  to  Dunport,  alive  or  dead.  The  woman 
had  treated  Miss  Prince  with  shameful  impudence 
and  had  disappeared  afterward.  The  child  had 
been  brought  up  with  her  own  people,  and  it  was 
understood  that  Miss  Prince's  efforts  to  have  any 
connection  with  them  were  all  thwarted.  Lately 
it  had  become  known  that  the  girl's  guardian  was 
a  very  fine  man  and  was  taking  a  great  interest  in 
her.  But  the  reader  will  imagine  how  this  story 
grew  and  changed  in  different  people's  minds. 
Some  persons  insisted  that  Miss  Prince  had  de 
clined  to  see  her  brother's  child,  and  others  that  it 
was  denied  her.  It  was  often  said  in  these  days 
that  Nan  must  be  free  to  do  as  she  chose,  but  it 
was  more  than  likely  that  she  had  assumed  the 
prejudices  against  her  aunt  with  which  she  must 
have  become  most  familiar. 

As  for  Miss  Prince  herself,  she  had  long  ago 
become  convinced  that  there  was  nothing  to  be 
done  in  this  matter.  After  one  has  followed  a 
certain  course  for  some  time,  everything  seems 
to  persuade  one  that  no  other  is  possible.  Some 
times  she  feared  that  an  excitement  and  danger 
lurked  in  her  future,  but,  after  all,  her  days  went 
by  so  calmly,  and  nearer  things  seemed  so  much 


202  A   COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

more  important  than  this  vague  sorrow  and  dread, 
that  she  went  to  and  fro  in  the  Dunport  streets, 
and  was  courteous  and  kind  in  her  own  house,  and 
read  a  sensible  book  now  and  then,  and  spent  her 
time  as  benevolently  and  respectably  as  possible. 
She  was  indeed  an  admirable  member  of  society, 
who  had  suffered  very  much  in  her  youth,  and 
those  who  knew  her  well  could  not  be  too  glad 
that  her  later  years  were  passing  far  less  unhap 
pily  than  most  people's. 

In  the  days  when  her  niece  had  lately  finished 
her  first  winter  at  the  medical  school,  Miss  Prince 
had  just  freed  herself  from  the  responsibility  of 
some  slight  repairs  which  the  house  had  needed. 
She  had  been  in  many  ways  much  more  occupied 
than  usual,  and  had  given  hardly  a  thought  to 
more  remote  affairs.  At  last  there  had  come  an 
evening  when  she  felt  at  leisure,  and  happily  Miss 
Fraley,  one  of  her  earliest  friends,  had  come  to 
pay  her  a  visit.  The  two  ladies  sat  at  the  front 
windows  of  the  west  parlor  looking  out  upon  the 
street,  while  the  hostess  expressed  her  gratitude 
that  the  overturning  of  her  household  affairs  was 
at  an  end,  and  that  she  was  all  in  order  for  sum 
mer.  They  talked  about  the  damage  and  discom 
fort  inflicted  by  masons,  and  the  general  havoc 
which  follows  a  small  piece  of  fallen  ceiling.  Miss 
Prince,  having  made  a  final  round  of  inspection 
just  after  tea,  had  ascertained  that  the  last  of  the 
white  dimity  curtains  and  coverings  were  in  their 
places  upstairs  in  the  bedrooms,  and  her  love  of 


MISS  PRINCE   OF  DUNPORT.  203 

order  was  satisfied.  She  had  complimented  Pris- 
cilla,  and  made  her  and  the  maids  the  customary 
spring  present,  and  had  returned  to  her  evening 
post  of  observation  at  the  parlor  window  just  as 
Miss  Fraley  came  in.  She  was  not  in  the  mood 
for  receiving  guests,  being  a  trifle  tired,  but  Eu 
nice  Fraley  was  a  mild  little  creature,  with,  a 
gentle,  deprecatory  manner  which  had  always  ap 
pealed  to  Miss  Prince's  more  chivalrous  nature,, 
Besides,  she  knew  this  to  be  a  most  true  and  af 
fectionate  friend,  who  had  also  the  gift  of  appear 
ing  when  everything  was  ready  for  her,  as  the 
bluebirds  come,  and  the  robins,  in  the  early  days 
of  spring. 

" 1  wish  I  could  say  that  our  house  was  all  in 
order  but  one  closet,"  said  the  guest,  in  a  more 
melancholy  tone  than  usual.  "  I  believe  we  are 
more  behind-hand  than  ever  this  year.  You  know 
-ve  have  Susan's  children  with  us  for  a  fortnight 
while  she  goes  away  for  a  rest,  and  they  have  been 
a  good  deal  of  care.  I  think  mother  is  getting 
tired  of  them  now,  though  she  was  very  eager  to 
have  a  visit  from  them  at  first.  She  said  this 
morning  that  the  little  girl  was  worse  than  a  kit 
ten  in  a  fit,  and  she  did  hope  that  Susan  would  n't 
think  it  best  to  pass  another  week  away." 

Miss  Prince  laughed  a  little,  and  so  did  Miss 
Fraley  after  a  moment's  hesitation.  She  seemed 
to  be  in  a  somewhat  sentimental  and  introspective 
mood  as  she  looked  out  of  the  window  in  the  May 
twilight. 


204  A    COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

"  I  so  often  feel  as  if  I  were  not  accomplishing 
anything,"  she  said  sadly.  "  It  came  over  me  to 
day  that  here  I  am,  really  an  old  woman,  and  I  am 
just  about  where  I  first  started,  —  doing  the  same 
things  over  and  over  and  no  better  than  ever.  I 
have  n't  the  gift  of  style  ;  anybody  else  might  have 
done  my  work  just  as  well,  I  am  afraid  ;  I  am 
sure  the  world  would  have  got  along  just  as  well 
without  me.  Mother  has  been  so  active,  and  has 
reached  such  a  great  age,  that  perhaps  it  has  n't 
been  much  advantage  to  me.  I  have  only  learned 
to  depend  upon  her  instead  of  myself.  I  begin  to 
see  that  I  should  have  amounted  to  a  great  deal 
more  if  I  had  had  a  home  of  my  own.  I  some 
times  wish  that  I  were  as  free  to  go  and  come  as 
you  are,  Nancy." 

But  Miss  Prince's  thoughts  were  pleased  to 
take  a  severely  practical  turn  :  "  I  'm  not  in  the 
least  free,"  she  answered  cheerfully.  "  I  believe 
you  need  something  to  strengthen  you,  Eunice. 
I  have  n't  seen  you  so  out  of  spirits  for  a  great 
while.  Free  !  why  I  'm  tied  to  this  house  as  if 
I  were  the  knocker  on  the  front  door  ;  and  I  cer 
tainly  have  a  great  deal  of  care.  I  put  the  utmost 
confidence  in  Priscilla,  but  those  nieces  of  hers 
would  be  going  wherever  they  chose,  from  garret 
to  cellar,  before  I  was  ten  miles  away  from  Dun- 
port.  I  have  let  the  cook  go  away  for  a  week,  and 
Phrcbe  and  Priscilla  are  alone.  Phoebe  is  a  good 
little  creature ;  I  only  hope  she  won't  be  married 
within  six  months,  for  I  don't  know  when  I  have 


MISS  PRINCE   OF  DUNPORT.  205 

liked  a  young  girl  so  well.  Priscilla  was  anxious 
I  should  take  that  black-eyed  daughter  of  her 
brother's,  and  was  quite  hurt  because  I  refused." 

"  I  dare  say  you  were  right,"  acknowledged 
Miss  Fraley,  though  she  could  not  exactly  see  the 
obstacles  to  her  friend's  freedom  in  such  strong 
light  as  was  expected. 

"  I  know  that  it  must  be  difficult  for  you  some 
times,"  resumed  the  hostess  presently,  in  a  more 
sympathetic  tone.  "  Your  mother  naturally  finds 
it  hard  to  give  up  the  rule.  We  can't  expect  her 
to  look  at  life  as  younger  persons  do." 

"I  don't  expect  it,"  said  poor  Miss  Fraley  ap- 
pealingiy,  "  and  I  am  sure  I  try  to  be  considerate  ; 
but  how  would  you  like  it,  to  be  treated  as  if  you 
were  sixteen  instead  of  nearly  sixty  ?  I  know  it 
says  in  the  Bible  that  children  should  obey  their 
parents,  but  there  is  no  such  commandment,  that 
I  can  see,  to  women  who  are  old  enough  to  be 
grandmothers  themselves.  It  does  make  me  per 
fectly  miserable  to  have  everything  questioned 
and  talked  over  that  I  do  ;  but  I  know  I  ought 
not  to  say  such  things.  I  suppose  I  shall  lie 
awake  half  the  night  grieving  over  it.  You  know 
I  have  the  greatest  respect  for  mother's  judgment ; 
I  'm  sure  I  don't  know  what  in  the  world  I  should 
do  without  her." 

"  You  are  too  yielding,  Eunice,"  said  Miss  Prince 
kindly.  "  You  try  to  please  everybody,  and  that 's 
your  way  of  pleasing  yourself ;  but,  after  all,  I  be 
lieve  we  give  everybody  more  satisfaction  when 


206  A    COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

we  hold  fast  to  our  own  ideas  of  right  and  wrong. 
There  have  been  a  great  many  friends  who  were 
more  than  willing  to  give  me  their  advice  in  all 
these  years  that  I  have  been  living  alone ;  but  I 
have  always  made  up  my  mind  and  gone  straight 
ahead.  I  have  no  doubt  I  should  be  very  impa 
tient  now  of  much  comment  and  talking  over ;  and 
yet  there  are  so  many  times  when  I  would  give 
anything  to  see  father  or  mother  for  a  little  while. 
I  have  n't  suffered  from  living  alone  as  much 
as  some  persons  do,  but  I  often  feel  very  sad  and 
lonely  when  I  sit  here  and  think  about  the  past. 
Dear  me  !  here  is  Phoebe  with  the  lights,  and  I 
dare  say  it  is  just  as  well.  I  am  going  to  ask  you 
to  go  up  stairs  and  see  the  fresh  paint,  and  how 
ship-shape  we  are  at  last,  as  father  used  to  say." 

Miss  Fraley  rose  at  once,  with  an  expression  of 
pleasure,  and  the  two  friends  made  a  leisurely  tour 
of  the  old  house  which  seemed  all  ready  for  a  large 
family,  and  though  its  owner  apparently  enjoyed 
her  freedom  and  dominion,  it  all  looked  deserted 
and  empty  to  her  guest.  They  lingered  together 
in  the  wide  lower  hall,  and  parted  with  unusual 
affection.  This  was  by  no  means  the  first  hint 
that  had  been  given  of  a  somewhat  fettered  and 
disappointing  home  life,  though  Miss  Fraley  would 
have  shuddered  at  the  thought  of  any  such  report's 
being  sent  abroad. 

"  Send  the  children  round  to  see  me,"  said  Miss 
Prince,  by  way  of  parting  benediction.  "  They 
can  play  in  the  garden  an  hour  or  two,  and  it  will 


MISS  PRINCE   OF  DUNPORT.  207 

be  a  change  for  them  and  for  you  ;  "  which  invi 
tation  was  gratefully  accepted,  though  Miss  Eu 
nice  smiled  at  the  idea  of  their  needing  a  change, 
when  they  were  sure  to  be  on  every  wharf  in  town 
in  the  course  of  the  day,  and  already  knew  more 
people  in  Dunport  than  she  did. 

The  next  morning  Miss  Prince's  sense  of  gen. 
eral  well-being  seemed  to  have  deserted  her  al 
together.  She  was  overshadowed  by  a  fear  of 
impending  disaster  and  felt  strangely  tired  and 
dissatisfied.  But  she  did  not  believe  in  moping, 
and  only  assured  herself  that  she  must  make  the 
day  an  easy  one.  So,  being  strong  against  tides, 
as  some  old  poet  says  of  the  whale,  Miss  Prince 
descended  the  stairs  calmly,  and  advised  Priscilla 
to  put  off  the  special  work  that  had  been  planned 
until  still  later  in  the  week.  "  You  had  better 
ask  your  sister  to  come  and  spend  the  day  with 
you  and  have  a  good,  quiet  visit,"  which  permis 
sion  Priscilla  received  without  comment,  being  a 
person  of  few  words  ;  but  she  looked  pleased,  and 
while  her  mistress  went  down  the  garden  walk  to 
breathe  the  fresh  morning  air,  she  concocted  a 
small  omelet  as  an  unexpected  addition  to  the 
breakfast.  Miss  Prince  was  very  fond  of  an  om 
elet,  but  Priscilla,  in  spite  of  all  her  good  quali 
ties,  was  liable  to  occasional  fits  of  ofnshness  and 
depression,  and  in  those  seasons  kept  her  employ 
er,  in  one  way  or  another,  on  short  commons. 

The  day  began  serenely.  It  was  the  morning 
for  the  Dunport  weekly  paper,  which  Miss  Prince 


208  A    COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

sat  down  at  once  to  read,  making  her  invariable 
reproachful  remark  that  there  was  nothing  in  it, 
after  having  devoted  herself  to  this  duty  for  an 
hour  or  more.  Then  she  mounted  to  the  upper 
floor  of  her  house  to  put  away  a  blanket  which  had 
been  overlooked  in  the  spring  packing  of  the  cam 
phor-wood  chests  which  stood  in  a  solemn  row  in 
the  north  corner  of  the  garret.  There  were  three 
dormer  windows  in  the  front  of  the  garret-roof,  and 
one  of  these  had  been  a  favorite  abiding-place  in 
her  youth.  She  had  played  with  her  prim  Dutch 
dolls  there  in  her  childhood,  and  she  could  re 
member  spending  hour  after  hour  watching  for 
her  father's  ship  when  the  family  had  begun  to 
expect  him  home  at  the  end  of  a  long  voyage. 
She  remembered  with  a  smile  how  grieved  she 
had  been  because  once  he  came  into  port  late  in 
the  night  and  surprised  them  all  early  in  the 
morning,  but  he  had  made  amends  by  taking  her 
back  with  him  when  he  hurried  on  board  again 
after  a  hasty  greeting.  Miss  Prince  lived  that 
morning  over  again  as  she  stood  there,  old  and 
gray  and  alone  in  the  world.  She  could  see  again 
the  great  weather-beaten  and  tar-darkened  ship, 
and  even  the  wizened  monkey  which  belonged  to 
one  of  the  sailors.  She  lingered  at  her  father's 
side  admiringly,  and  felt  the  tears  come  into  her 
eyes  once  more  when  he  gave  her  a  taste  of  the 
fiery  contents  of  his  tumbler.  They  were  all  in  his 
cabin  ;  old  Captain  Dunn  and  Captain  Denny  and 
Captain  Peterbeck  were  sitting  round  the  little 


MISS  PRINCE   OF  DUNPORT.  209 

table,  also  provided  with  tumblers,  as  they  listened 
eagerly  to  the  story  of  the  voyage.  The  sailors 
came  now  and  then  for  orders  ;  Nancy  thought  her 
handsome  father,  with  his  bronzed  cheeks  and 
white  forehead  and  curly  hair,  was  every  inch  a 
king.  He  was  her  hero,  and  nothing  could  please 
her  so  much  to  the  end  of  her  days  as  to  have 
somebody  announce,  whether  from  actual  knowl 
edge  or  hearsay,  that  Captain  Jack  Prince  was  the 
best  shipmaster  that  ever  sailed  out  of  Dunport. 
.  .  .  She  always  was  sure  there  were  some  pres 
ents  stored  away  for  herself  and  young  Jack,  her 
brother,  in  one  of  the  lockers  of  the  little  cabin. 
Poor  Jack  !  how  he  used  to  frighten  her  by  climb 
ing  the  shrouds  and  waving  his  cap  from  almost 
inaccessible  heights.  Poor  Jack  !  and  Miss  Prince 
climbed  the  step  to  look  down  the  harbor  again, 
as  if  the  ship  were  more  than  thirty  days  out  from 
Amsterdam,  and  might  be  expected  at  any  time 
if  the  voyage  had  been  favorable. 

The  house  was  at  no  great  distance  from  the 
water  side,  though  the  crowded  buildings  obscured 
the  view  from  the  lower  stories.  There  was 
nothing  coming  in  from  sea  but  a  steam-tug, 
which  did  not  harmonize  with  these  pleasant  remi 
niscences,  though  as  Miss  Prince  raised  the  window 
a  line  salt  breeze  entered,  well  warmed  with  the 
May  sunshine.  It  had  the  flavor  of  tar  and  the 
spirit  of  the  high  seas,  and  for  a  wonder  there 
could  be  heard  the  knocking  of  shipwrights'  ham 
mers,  which  in  old  times  were  never  silent  in  the 


210  A    COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

town.  As  she  sat  there  for  a  few  minutes  in  the 
window  seat,  there  came  to  her  other  recollections 
of  her  later  girlhood,  when  she  had  stolen  to  this 
corner  for  the  sake  of  being  alone  with  her  pleas 
ant  thoughts,  though  she  had  cried  there  many  an 
hour  after  Jack's  behavior  had  given  them  the 
sorrow  they  hardly  would  own  to  each  other.  She 
remembered  hearing  her  father's  angry  voice  down 
stairs.  No !  she  would  not  think  of  that  again, 
why  should  she?  and  she  shut  the  window  and 
went  back  to  be  sure  that  she  had  locked  the  cam 
phor  chest,  and  hung  its  key  on  the  flat-headed 
rusty  nail  overhead.  Miss  Prince  heard  some  one 
open  and  shut  the  front  door  as  she  went  down, 
and  in  the  small  front  room  she  found  Captain 
Walter  Parish,  who  held  a  high  place  among  her 
most  intimate  friends.  He  was  her  cousin,  and 
had  become  her  general  adviser  and  counselor. 
He  sometimes  called  himself  laughingly  the  ship's 
husband,  for  it  was  he  who  transacted  most  of 
Miss  Prince's  important  business,  and  selected  her 
paint  and  shingles  and  her  garden  seeds  beside, 
and  made  and  mended  her  pens.  He  liked  to  be 
useful  and  agreeable,  but  he  had  not  that  satis 
faction  in  his  own  home,  for  his  wife  had  been  a 
most  efficient  person  to  begin  with,  and  during 
his  absences  at  sea  in  early  life  had  grown  en 
tirely  self-reliant.  The  captain  joked  about  it 
merrily,  but  he  nevertheless  liked  to  feel  that  he 
was  still  important,  and  Miss  Prince  generously 
told  him,  from  time  to  time,  that  she  did  not 


MISS  PRINCE   OF  DUNPORT.  211 

know  how  she  should  get  on  without  him,  and 
considerately  kept  up  the  fiction  of  not  wishing  to 
take  up  his  time  when  he  must  be  busy  with  his 
own  affairs. 

"  How  are  you  this  fine  morning,  Cousin  Nancy  ?  " 
said  the  captain  gallantly.  "  I  called  to  say  that 
Jerry  Martin  will  be  here  to-morrow  without  fail. 
It  seems  he  thought  you  would  send  him  word 
when  you  wanted  him  next,  and  he  has  been  work 
ing  for  himself.  I  don't  think  the  garden  will  suf 
fer,  we  have  had  so  much  cold  weather.  And  here 
is  a  letter  I  took  from  the  office. "  He  handed  it 
to  Miss  Prince  with  a  questioning  look;  he  knew 
the  handwriting  of  her  few  correspondents  almost 
as  well  as  she,  and  this  was  a  stranger's. 

"  Perhaps  it  is  a  receipt  for  my  subscription  to 
the  "  —  But  Miss  Prince  never  finished  the  sen 
tence,  for  when  she  had  fairly  taken  the  letter 
into  her  hand,  the  very  touch  of  it  seemed  to  send 
a  tinge  of  ashen  gray  like  some  quick  poison  over 
her  face.  She  stood  still,  looking  at  it,  then  flushed 
crimson,  and  sat  down  in  the  nearest  chair,  as  if  it 
were  impossible  to  hold  herself  upright.  The  cap 
tain  was  uncertain  what  he  ought  to  do. 

"  I  hope  you  have  n't  heard  bad  news,"  he  said 
presently,  for  Miss  Prince  had  leaned  back  in  the 
arm-chair  and  covered  her  eyes  with  one  hand, 
while  the  letter  was  tightly  held  in  the  other. 

"  It  is  from  my  niece,"  she  answered,  slowly. 

"  You  don't  mean  it 's  from  Jack's  daughter  ?  " 
inquired  the  captain,  not  without  eagerness.  Ha 


212  A    COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

never  had  suspected  such  a  thing ;  the  only  ex 
planation  which  had  suggested  itself  to  his  mind 
was  that  Miss  Prince  had  been  investing  some  of 
her  money  without  his  advice  or  knowledge,  and 
he  had  gone  so  far  as  to  tell  himself  that  it  was 
just  like  a  woman,  and  quite  good  enough  for  her 
if  she  had  lost  it.  "I  never  thought  of  its  being 
from  her,"  he  said,  a  little  bewildered,  for  the 
captain  was  not  a  man  of  quick  wit ;  his  powers  of 
reflection  served  him  better.  "  Well,  are  n't  you 
going  to  tell  me  what  she  has  to  say  for  herself  ?  " 

"  She  proposes  to  make  me  a  visit,"  answered 
Miss  Prince,  trying  to  smile  as  she  handed  him 
the  little  sheet  of  paper  which  she  had  uncon 
sciously  crumpled  together;  but  she  did  not  give 
even  one  glance  at  his  face  as  he  read  it,  though 
she  thought  it  a  distressingly  long  time  before  he 
spoke. 

"  I  must  say  that  this  is  a  very  good  letter,  very 
respectful  and  lady-like,"  said  the  captain  hon 
estly,  though  he  felt  as  if  he  had  been  expected 
to  condemn  it,  and  proceeded  to  read  it  through 
again,  this  time  aloud  :  — 

MY  DEAR  AUNT,  —  I  cannot  think  it  is  right 
that  we  do  not  know  each  other.  I  should  like  to 
go  to  Dunport  for  a  day  some  time  next  month  ; 
but  if  you  do  not  wish  to  see  me  you  have  only  to 
tell  ine  so,  and  I  will  not  trouble  you. 

Yours  sincerely, 

ANNA  PRINCE. 


MISS  PRINCE   OF  DUN  PORT.  213 

"A  very  good  handwriting,  too,"  the  captain  re 
marked,  and  then  gathered  courage  to  say  that 
he  supposed  Miss  Prince  would  give  her  niece  the 
permission  for  which  she  asked.  "I  have  been 
told  that  she  is  a  very  fine  girl,"  he  ventured,  as 
if  he  were  poor  Nan's  ambassador;  and  at  this 
Miss  Prince's  patience  gave  way. 

"  Yes,  I  shall  ask  her  to  come,  but  I  do  not 
wish  anything  said  about  it ;  it  need  not  be  made 
the  talk  of  the  town."  She  answered  her  cousin 
angrily,  and  then  felt  as  if  she  had  been  unjust. 
41  Do  not  mind  me,  Walter,"  she  said ;  "  it  has 
been  a  terrible  grief  and  trouble  to  me  all  these 
years.  Perhaps  if  I  had  gone  to  see  those  people, 
and  told  them  all  I  felt,  they  would  have  pitied 
me,  and  not  blamed  me,  and  so  everything  would 
have  been  better,  but  it  is  too  late  now.  I  don't 
know  what  sort  of  a  person  my  own  niece  is,  and 
I  wish  that  I  need  never  find  out,  but  I  shall  try 
to  do  my  duty." 

The  captain  was  tender-hearted,  and  seemed 
quite  unmanned,  but  he  gave  his  eyes  a  sudden 
stroke  with  his  hand  and  turned  to  go  away. 
"  You  will  command  me,  Nancy,  if  I  .can  be  of 
service  to  you  ? "  he  inquired,  and  his  cousin 
bowed  her  head  in  assent.  It  was,  indeed,  a  dis 
mal  hour  of  the  family  history. 

For  some  time  Miss  Prince  did  not  move,  except 
as  she  watched  Captain  Parish  cross  the  street 
and  take  his  leisurely  way  along  the  uneven  pave 
ment.  She  was  almost  tempted  to  call  him  back, 


214  A    COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

and  felt  as  if  he  were  the  last  friend  she  had  in  the 
world,  and  was  leaving  her  forever.  But  after  she 
had  allowed  the  worst  of  the  miserable  shock  to 
spend  itself,  she  summoned  the  stern  energy  for 
which  she  was  famous,  and  going  with  slower 
steps  than  usual  to  the  next  room,  she  unlocked 
the  desk  of  the  ponderous  secretary  and  seated 
herself  to  write.  Before  many  minutes  had  passed 
the  letter  was  folded,  and  sealed,  and  addressed, 
and  the  next  evening  Nan  was  reading  it  at  Old- 
fields.  She  was  grateful  for  being  asked  to  come 
on  the  5th  of  June  to  Dunport,  and  to  stay  a  few 
days  if  it  were  convenient,  and  yet  her  heart  fell 
because  there  was  not  a  sign  of  welcome  or  af 
fection  in  the  stately  fashioning  of  the  note.  It 
had  been  hardly  wise  to  expect  it  under  the  cir 
cumstances,  the  girl  assured  herself  later,  and  at 
any  rate  it  was  kind  in  her  aunt  to  answer  her 
own  short  letter  so  soon. 


XV. 

HOSTESS   AND  GUEST. 

NAN  had,  indeed,  resolved  to  take  a  most  i 
portant  step.  She  had  always  dismissed  the  idea 
of  having  any  communication  with  her  aunt  most 
contemptuously  when  she  had  first  understood 
their  unhappy  position  toward  each  other ;  but 
during  the  last  year  or  two  she  had  been  forced 
to  look  at  the  relationship  from  a  wider  point  of 
view.  Dr.  Leslie  protested  that  he  had  always 
treated  Miss  Prince  in  a  perfectly  fair  and  friendly 
manner,  and  that  if  she  had  chosen  to  show  no  in 
terest  in  her  only  niece,  nobody  was  to  blame  but 
herself.  But  Nan  pleaded  that  her  aunt  was  no 
longer  young ;  that  she  might  be  wishing  that  a 
reconciliation  could  be  brought  about  ;  the  very 
fact  of  her  having  constantly  sent  the  yearly  allow 
ance  in  spite  of  Mrs.  Thacher's  and  Dr.  Leslie's 
unwillingness  to  receive  it  appealed  to  the  young 
girl,  who  was  glad  to  believe  that  her  aunt  had, 
after  all,  more  interest  in  her  than  others  cared  to 
observe.  She  had  no  near  relatives  except  Miss 
Prince.  There  were  some  cousins  of  old  Mrs. 
Thacher's  and  their  descendants  settled  in  the 
vicinity  of  Oldfieldsj  but  Nan  clung  more  eagerly 


216  A    COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

to  tins  one  closer  tie  of  kindred  than  she  cared  to 
confess  even  to  her  guardian.  It  was  too  late 
now  for  any  interference  in  Dr.  Leslie's  plans, 
or  usurping  of  his  affectionate  relationship;  so, 
after  he  found  that  Nan's  loyal  heart  was  bent 
upon  making  so  kind  a  venture,  he  said  one  day, 
with  a  smile,  that  she  had  better  write  a  letter 
to  her  aunt,  the  immediate  result  of  which  we 
already  know.  Nan  had  been  studying  too  hard, 
and  suffering  not  a  little  from  her  long-continued 
city  life,  and  though  the  doctor  had  been  mak 
ing  a  most  charming  plan  that  later  in  the  season 
they  should  take  a  journey  together  to  Canada,  he 
said  nothing  about  that,  and  told  himself  with  a 
sigh  that  this  would  be  a  more  thorough  change, 
and  even  urged  Nan  to  stay  as  long  as  she  pleased 
in  Dunport,  if  she  found  her  aunt's  house  pleasant 
and  everything  went  well.  For  whether  Nan  liked 
Miss  Prince  remained  to  be  proved,  though  no 
body  in  their  senses  could  doubt  that  Miss  Prince 
would  be  proud  of  her  niece. 

It  was  not  until  after  Nan  had  fairly  started 
that  she  began  to  feel  at  all  dismayed.  Per 
haps  she  had  done  a  foolish  thing  after  all ;  Ma- 
rilla  had  not  approved  the  adventure,  while  at 
the  last  minute  Nan  had  become  suspicious  that 
the  doctor  had  made  another  plan,  though  she 
contented  herself  with  the  remembrance  of  per 
fect  freedom  to  go  home  whenever  she  chose. 
She  told  herself  grimly  that  if  her  aunt  died 
she  should  be  thankful  that  she  had  done  this 


HOSTESS  AND   GUEST.  217 

duty  ;  yet  when,  after  a  journey  of  several  hours, 
she  knew  that  Dunport  was  the  next  station, 
her  heart  began  to  beat  in  a  ridiculous  manner. 
It  was  unlike  any  experience  that  had  ever  come 
to  her,  and  she  felt  strangely  unequal  to  the  oc 
casion.  Long  ago  she  had  laughed  at  her  early 
romances  of  her  grand  Dunport  belongings,  but 
the  memory  of  them  lingered  still,  in  spite  of  this 
commonplace  approach  to  their  realities,  and  she 
looked  eagerly  at  the  groups  of  people  at  the  rail 
way  station  with  a  great  hope  and  almost  certainty 
that  she  should  find  her  aunt  waiting  to  meet  her. 
There  was  no  such  good  fortune,  which  was  a  chill 
at  the  outset  to  the  somewhat  tired  young  traveler, 
but  she  beckoned  a  driver  whom  she  had  just 
ignored,  and  presently  was  shut  into  a  somewhat 
antiquated  public  carriage  and  on  her  way  to  Miss 
Prince's  house. 

So  this  was  Dunport,  and  in  these  very  streets 
her  father  had  played,  and  here  her  mother  had 
become  deeper  and  deeper  involved  in  the  suffer 
ing  and  tragedy  which  had  clouded  the  end  of  her 
short  life.  It  seemed  to  the  young  stranger  as  if 
she  must  shrink  away  from  the  curious  glances 
that  stray  passers-by  sent  into  the  old  carriage ; 
and  that  she  was  going  to  be  made  very  conspic 
uous  by  the  newly-awakened  interest  in  a  sad 
story  which  surely  could  not  have  been  forgotten. 
Poor  Nan !  she  sent  a  swift  thought  homeward 
to  the  doctor's  house  and  Mrs.  Graham's  ;  even  to 
the  deserted  little  place  which  had  sheltered  her 


218  A   COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

good  old  grandmother  and  herself  in  the  first  years 
she  could  remember.  And  with  strange  irony 
came  also  a  picture  of  the  home  of  one  of  her 
schoolmates,  —  where  the  father  and  mother  and 
their  children  lived  together  and  loved  each  other. 
The  tears  started  to  her  eyes  until  some  good 
angel  whispered  the  kind  "  Come  back  soon,  Nan 
dear,"  with  which  Dr.  Leslie  had  let  her  go  away. 
The  streets  were  narrow  and  roughly  paved  in 
the  old  provincial  seaport  town  ;  the  houses  looked 
a  good  deal  alike  as  they  stood  close  to  the  street, 
though  here  and  there  the  tops  of  some  fruit  trees 
showed  themselves  over  a  high  garden  fence. 
And  presently  before  a  broad-faced  and  gambrel- 
roofed  house,  the  driver  stopped  his  horses,  and 
now  only  the  front  door  with  its  bull's-eyed  top- 
lights  and  shining  knocker  stood  between  Nan  and 
her  aunt.  The  coachman  had  given  a  resounding 
summons  at  this  somewhat  formidable  entrance 
before  he  turned  to  open  the  carriage  door,  but 
Nan  had  already  alighted,  and  stepped  quickly 
into  the  hall.  Priscilla  directed  her  with  some 
ceremony  to  the  south  parlor,  and  a  prim  figure 
turned  away  from  one  of  the  windows  that  over 
looked  the  garden,  and  came  forward  a  few  steps. 
"  I  suppose  this  is  Anna,"  the  not  very  cordial 
voice  began,  and  faltered  ;  and  then  Miss  Prince 
led  her  niece  toward  the  window  she  had  left,  and 
without  a  thought  of  the  reserve  she  had  decided 
upon,  pushed  one  of  the  blinds  wide  open,  and 
looked  again  at  Nan's  appealing  face,  half  eager 


HOSTESS  AND   GUEST.  219 

herself,  and  half  afraid.  Then  she  fumbled  for  a 
handkerchief,  and  betook  herself  to  the  end  of  the 
sofa  and  began  to  cry :  "  You  are  so  like  ray 
mother  and  Jack,"  she  said.  "  I  did  not  think  I 
should  be  so  glad  to  see  you." 

The  driver  had  deposited  Nan's  box,  and  now 
appeared  at  the  door  of  the  parlor  with  Priscilla 
(who  had  quite  lost  her  wits  with  excitement) 
looking  over  his  shoulder.  Nan  sprang  forward, 
glad  of  something  to  do  in  the  midst  of  her  vague 
discomfort,  and  at  this  sight  the  hostess  recovered 
herself,  and,  commanding  Priscilla  to  show  Miss 
Prince  to  her  room,  assumed  the  direction  of  busi 
ness  affairs. 

The  best  bedroom  was  very  pleasant,  though 
somewhat  stiff  and  unused,  and  Nan  was  glad  to 
close  its  door  and  find  herself  in  such  a  comfortable 
haven  of  rest  and  refuge  from  the  teasing  details 
of  that  strange  day.  The  wind  had  gone  to  the 
eastward,  and  the  salt  odor  was  most  delightful  to 
her.  A  vast  inheritance  of  memories  and  associa 
tions  was  dimly  brought  to  mind  by  that  breath  of 
the  sea  and  freshness  of  the  June  day  by  the  har 
bor  side.  Her  heart  leaped  at  the  thought  of  the 
neighborhood  of  the  wharves  and  shipping,  and  as 
she  looked  out  at  the  ancient  street,  she  told  her 
self  with  a  sense  of  great  fun  that  if  she  had  been 
a  boy  she  would  inevitably  have  been  a  surgeon  in 
the  navy.  So  this  was  the  aunt  whom  Nan  had 
thought  about  and  dreamed  about  by  day  and 
by  night,  whose  acquaintance  had  always  been  a 


220  A   COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

waiting  pleasure,  and  the  mere  fact  of  whose  exis 
tence  had  always  given  her  niece  something  to  look 
forward  to.  She  had  not  known  until  this  mo 
ment  what  a  reserved  pleasure  this  meeting  had 
been,  and  now  it  was  over  with.  Miss  Prince  was 
so  much  like  other  people,  though  why  she  should 
not  have  been  it  would  be  difficult  to  suggest,  and 
Nan's  taste  had  been  so  educated  and  instructed 
by  her  Oldfields'  advantages,  not  to  speak  of  her 
later  social  experiences,  that  she  felt  at  once  that 
her  aunt's  world  was  smaller  than  her  own.  There 
was  something  very  lovable  about  Miss  Prince,  in 
spite  of  the  constraint  of  her  greeting,  and  for  the 
first  time  Nan  understood  that  her  aunt  also  had 
dreaded  the  meeting.  Presently  she  came  to  the 
door,  and  this  time  kissed  Nan  affectionately.  "  I 
don't  know  what  to  say  to  you,  I  am  sure,"  she 
told  the  girl,  "  only  I  am  thankful  to  have  you 
here.  You  must  understand  that  it  is  a  great 
event  to  me  ; "  at  which  Nan  laughed  and  spoke 
some  cheerful  words.  Miss  Prince  seated  her 
self  by  the  other  front  window,  and  looked  at 
her  young  guest  with  ever-growing  satisfaction. 
This  was  no  copy  of  that  insolent,  ill-bred  young 
woman  who  had  so  beguiled  and  ruined  poor 
Jack ;  she  was  a  little  lady,  who  did  honor  to 
the  good  name  of  the  Princes  and  Lesters,  —  a 
niece  whom  anybody  might  be  proud  to  claim, 
and  whom  Miss  Prince  could  cordially  entreat 
to  make  herself  quite  at  home,  for  she  had  only 
been  too  long  in  coming  to  her  own.  And  pres. 


HOSTESS  AND   GUEST.  221 

ently,  when  tea  was  served,  the  careful  ordering 
of  it,  which  had  been  meant  partly  to  mock  and 
astonish  the  girl  who  could  not  have  been  used  to 
such  ways  of  living,  seemed  only  a  fitting  enter 
tainment  for  so  distinguished  a  guest.  "  Blood 
will  tell,"  murmured  Miss  Prince  to  herself  as  she 
clinked  the  teacups  and  looked  at  the  welcome 
face  the  other  side  of  the  table.  But  when  they 
talked  together  in  the  evening,  it  was  made  certain 
that  Nan  was  neither  ashamed  of  her  mother's 
people  nor  afraid  to  say  gravely  to  Miss  Prince 
that  she  did  not  know  how  much  injustice  was 
done  to  grandmother  Thacher,  if  she  believed 
she  were  right  in  making  a  certain  statement. 
Aunt  Nancy  smiled,  and  accepted  her  rebuff  with 
out  any  show  of  disapproval,  and  was  glad  that 
the  next  day  was  Sunday,  so  that  she  could  take 
Nan  to  church  for  the  admiration  of  all  obser 
vers.  She  was  even  sorry  that  she  had  not  told 
young  Gerry  to  come  and  pay  an  evening  visit 
to  her  niece,  and  spoke  of  him  once  or  twice. 
Her  niece  observed  a  slight  self-consciousness  at 
such  times,  and  wondered  a  little  who  Mr.  George 
Gerry  might  be. 

Nan  thought  of  many  things  before  she  fell 
asleep  that  night.  Her  ideas  of  her  father  had 
always  been  vague,  and  she  had  somehow  asso 
ciated  him  with  Dr.  Leslie,  who  had  shown  her 
all  the  fatherliness  she  had  ever  known.  -As  for 
the  young  man  who  had  died  so  long' ago,  if  she 
had  said  that  he  seemed  to  her  like  a  younger 


222  A    COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

brother  of  Dr.  Leslie,  it  would  have  been  nearest 
the  truth,  in  spite  of  the  details  of  the  short  and 
disappointed  life  which  had  come  to  her  ears.  Dr. 
Ferris  had  told  her  almost  all  she  knew  of  him, 
but  now  that  she  was  in  her  own  father's  old 
home,  among  the  very  same  sights  he  had  known 
best,  he  suddenly  appeared  to  her  in  a  vision,  as 
one  might  say,  and  invested  himself  in  a  cloud  of 
attractive  romance.  His  daughter  felt  a  sudden 
blaze  of  delight  at  this  first  real  consciousness  of 
her  kinship.  Miss  Prince  had  shown  her  brother's 
portrait  early  in  the  evening,  and  had  even  taken 
the  trouble  to  light  a  candle  and  hold  it  high,  so 
that  Nan  could  see  the  handsome,  boyish  face,  in 
which  she  recognized  quickly  the  likeness  to  her 
own.  uHe  was  only  thirteen  then,"  said  Miss 
Prince,  "  but  he  looks  several  years  older.  We  all 
thought  that  the  artist  had  made  a  great  mistake 
when  it  was  painted,  but  poor  Jack  grew  to  look 
like  it.  Yes,  you  are  wonderfully  like  him,"  and 
she  held  the  light  near  Nan's  face  and  studied  it 
again  as  she  had  just  studied  the  picture.  Nan's 
eyes  filled  with  tears  as  she  looked  up  at  her 
father's  face.  The  other  portraits  in  the  room 
were  all  of  older  people,  her  grandfather  and  grand 
mother  and  two  or  three  ancestors,  and  Miss 
Prince  repeated  proudly  some  anecdotes  of  the 
most  distinguished.  "  I  suppose  you  never  heard 
of  them,"  she  added  sadly  at  the  close,  but  Nan 
made  no  answer ;  it  was  certainly  no  fault  of  her 
own  that  she  was  ignorant  of  many  things,  and 


HOSTESS  AND   GUEST.  223 

she  would  not  confess  that  during  the  last  few 
years  she  had  found  out  everything  that  was  pos 
sible  about  her  father's  people.  She  was  so  thank 
ful  to  have  grown  up  in  Oldfields  that  she  could 
not  find  it  in  her  heart  to  rail  at  the  fate  that  had 
kept  her  away  from  Dunport ;  but  the  years  of 
silence  had  been  very  unlovely  in  her  aunt. 

She  wondered,  before  she  went  to  sleep  that 
night,  where  her  father's  room  had  been,  and 
thought  she  would  ask  Miss  Prince  in  the  morn 
ing.  The  windows  were  open,  and  the  June  air 
blew  softly  in,  and  sometimes  swayed  the  curtains 
of  the  bed.  There  was  a  scent  of  the  sea  and  of 
roses,  and  presently  up  the  quiet  street  came  the 
sound  of  footsteps  and  young  voices.  Nan  said  to 
herself  that  some  party  had  been  late  in  breaking 
up,  and  felt  her  heart  thrill  with  sympathy.  She 
had  been  dwelling  altogether  in  the  past  that 
evening,  and  she  liked  to  hear  the  revelers  go  by. 
But  as  they  came  under  the  windows  she  heard 
one  say,  "  I  should  be  afraid  of  ghosts  in  that  best 
room  of  Miss  Prince's,"  and  then  they  suddenly 
became  quiet,  as  if  they  had  seen  that  the  win 
dows  were  open,  and  Nan  first  felt  like  a  stranger, 
but  next  as  if  this  were  all  part  of  the  evening's 
strange  experiences,  and  as  if  these  might  be  her 
father's  young  companions,  and  she  must  call  to 
them  as  they  went  by. 

The  next  morning  both  the  hostess  and  her 
guest  waked  early,  and  were  eager  for  the  timo 


224  A    COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

when  they  should  see  each  other  again.  The 
beauty  and  quiet  of  the  Sunday  morning  were 
very  pleasant,  and  Nan  stood  for  some  minutes  at 
the  dining-room  windows,  looking  out  on  the  small 
paved  court-yard,  and  the  flowers  and  green  leaves 
beyond  the  garden  gate.  Miss  Prince's  was  one 
of  the  fine  old  houses  which  kept  its  garden  be 
hind  it,  well-defended  from  the  street,  for  the  fam 
ily's  own  pleasure. 

"  Those  are  the  same  old  bushes  and  trees  which 
we  used  to  play  among ;  I  have  hardly  changed 
it  at  all,"  said  Miss  Prince,  as  she  came  in.  It 
must  be  confessed  that  she  had  lost  the  feeling  of 
patroness  with  which  she  had  approached  her  ac 
quaintance  with  Nan.  She  was  proud  and  grate 
ful  now,  and  as  she  saw  the  girl  in  her  pretty 
white  dress,  and  found  her  as  simple  and  affec 
tionate  and  eager  to  please  as  she  had  thought  her 
the  night  before,  she  owned  to  herself  that  she 
had  not  looked  for  such  happiness  to  fall  into  her 
life.  And  there  was  something  about  the  younger 
Anna  Prince  which  others  had  quickly  recognized ; 
a  power  of  direction  and  of  command.  There  are 
some  natures  like  the  Prussian  blue  on  a  painter's 
palette,  which  rules  all  the  other  colors  it  is  mixed 
with  ;  natures  which  quickly  make  themselves  felt 
in  small  or  great  companies. 

Nan  discovered  her  father's  silver  mug  beside 
her  plate,  and  was  fired  with  a  fiercer  resentment 
than  she  had  expected  to  feel  again,  at  the  sight 
of  it.  The  thought  of  her  childhood  in  good 


HOSTESS  AND   GUEST.  225 

grandmother  Thacher's  farm-house  came  quickly 
to  her  mind,  with  the  plain  living,  to  her  share 
of  which  she  had  been  made  a  thousand  times 
welcome  ;  while  by  this  richer  house,  of  which 
she  was  also  heir,  such  rightful  trinkets  and  treas 
ures  had  been  withheld.  But  at  the  next  minute 
she  could  meet  Miss  Prince's  observant  eyes 
without  displeasure,  and  wisely  remembered  that 
she  herself  had  not  been  responsible  for  the  state 
of  affairs,  and  that  possibly  her  aunt  had  been 
as  wronged  and  insulted  and  beaten  back  as  she 
complained.  So  she  pushed  the  newly-brightened 
cup  aside  with  an  almost  careless  hand,  as  a  sort 
of  compromise  with  revenge,  and  Miss  Prince  at 
once  caught  sight  of  it.  "  Dear  me,"  she  said,  not 
without  confusion,  "  Priscilla  must  have  thought 
you  would  be  pleased,"  and  then  faltered,  "I  wish 
with  all  my  heart  you  had  always  had  it  for  your 
own,  my  dear."  And  this  was  a  great  deal  for 
Miss  Prince  to  say,  as  any  of  her  acquaintances 
could  have  told  her  nearest  relative,  who  sat,  al 
most  a  stranger,  at  the  breakfast-table. 

The  elder  woman  felt  a  little  light-headed  and 
unfamiliar  to  herself  as  she  went  up  the  stairway 
to  get  ready  for  church.  It  seemed  as  if  she  had 
entered  upon  a  new  stage  of  existence,  since  for  so 
many  years  she  had  resented  the  existence  of  her 
brother's  child,  and  had  kept  up  an  imaginary  war, 
in  which  she  ardently  fought  for  her  own  rights. 
She  had  brought  forward  reason  after  reason  why 
she  must  maintain  her  position  as  representative 

15 


226  A    COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

of  a  respected  family  who  had  been  shamed  and 
disgraced  and  insulted  by  her  brother's  wife. 
Now  all  aggressors  of  her  peace,  real  and  imag 
inary,  were  routed  by  the  appearance  of  this  young 
girl  upon  the  field  of  battle,  which  she  traversed 
with  most  innocent  and  fearless  footsteps,  looking 
smilingly  into  her  aunt's  face,  and  behaving  al 
most  as  if  neither  of  them  had  been  concerned  in 
the  family  unhappiness.  Beside,  Nan  had  already 
added  a  new  interest  to  Miss  Prince's  life,  and  as 
this  defeated  warrior  took  a  best  dress  from  the 
closet  without  any  of  the  usual  reflection  upon  so 
important  a  step,  she  felt  a  great  consciousness  of 
having  been  added  to  and  enriched,  as  the  person 
might  who  had  suddenly  fallen  heir  to  an  unex 
pected  property.  From  this  first  day  she  sepa 
rated  herself  as  much  as  possible  from  any  thought 
of  guilt  or  complicity  in  the  long  estrangement. 
She  seemed  to  become  used  to  her  niece's  presence, 
and  with  the  new  relationship's  growth  there  faded 
away  the  thought  of  the  past  times.  If  any  one 
dared  to  hint  that  it  was  a  pity  this  visit  had  been 
so  long  delayed,  Miss  Prince  grandly  ignored  all 
personality. 

Priscilla  had  come  to  the  guest's  room  on  some 
undeclared  errand,  for  it  had  already  been  put  in 
order,  and  she  viewed  with  pleasure  the  simple 
arrangements  for  dressing  which  were  in  one  place 
and  another  about  the  room.  Priscilla  had  scorned 
the  idea  of  putting  this  visitor  .into  the  best  bed 
room,  and  had  had  secret  expectations  that  Miss 


,  HOSTESS  AND   GUEST.  227 

Prince's  niece  would  feel  more  at  home  with  her 
than  with  her  mistress.  But  Miss  Anna  was  as 
much  of  a  lady  as  Miss  Prince,  which  was  both 
pleasing  and  disappointing,  as  Priscilla  hoped  to 
solace  some  disrespectful  feelings  of  her  own  heart 
by  taking  down  Miss  Nancy's  pride.  However, 
her  loyalty  to  the  house  was  greater  than  her  own 
very  small  grudges,  and  as  she  pretended  to  have 
some  difficulty  with  the  fastening  of  the  blind,  she 
said  in  a  whisper,  "  Y'r  aunt  '11  like  to  have  you 
make  yourself  look  pretty,"  which  was  such  a 
reminder  of  Manila's  affectionate  worldliness  that 
Nan  had  to  laugh  aloud.  "  I  'm  afraid  I  have  n't 
anything  grand  enough,"  she  told  the  departing 
housekeeper,  whose  pleasure  it  was  not  hard  to 
discern. 

It  was  with  a  very  gratified  mind  that  Miss 
Prince  walked  down  the  street  with  her  niece  and 
bowed  to  one  and  another  of  her  acquaintances. 
She  was  entirely  careless  of  what  any  one  should 
say,  but  she  was  brimful  of  excitement,  and  an 
swered  several  of  Nan's  questions  entirely  wrong. 
The  old  town  was  very  pleasant  that  Sunday 
morning.  The  lilacs  were  in  full  bloom,  and  other 
early  summer  flowers  in  the  narrow  strips  of  front- 
yards  or  the  high-fenced  gardens  were  in  blossom 
too,  and  the  air  was  full  of  sweetness  and  delight. 
The  ancient  seaport  had  gathered  for  itself  quaint 
names  and  treasures  ;  it  was  pleased  with  its  old 
fashions  and  noble  memories  ;  its  ancient  bells 
had  not  lost  their  sweet  voices,  and  a  flavor  of 


228  A   COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

the  past  pervaded  everything.  The  comfortable 
houses,  the  elderly  citizens, '  the  very  names  on 
the  shop  signs,  and  the  worn  cobblestones  of  the 
streets  and  flagstones  of  the  pavements,  delighted 
the  young  stranger,  who  felt  so  unreasonably  at 
home  in  Dunport.  The  many  faces  that  had  been 
colored  and  fashioned  by  the  sea  were  strangely  dif 
ferent  from  those  which  had  known  an  inland  life 
only,  and  she  seemed  to  have  come  a  great  deal 
nearer  to  foreign  life  and  to  the  last  century.  Her 
heart  softened  as  she  wondered  if  her  father  knew 
that  she  was  following  his  boyish  footsteps,  for  the 
first  time  in  her  life,  on  that  Sunday  morning.  She 
would  have  liked  to  wander  away  by  herself  and 
find  her  way  about  the  town,  but  such  a  proposal 
was  not  to  be  thought  of,  and  all  at  once  Miss 
Nancy  turned  up  a  narrow  side  street  toward 
a  high -walled  brick  church,  and  presently  they 
walked  side  by  side  up  the  broad  aisle  so  far  that 
it  seemed  to  Nan  as  if  her  aunt  were  aiming  for 
the  chancel  itself,  and  had  some  public  ceremony 
in  view,  of  a  penitential  nature.  They  were  by  no 
means  early,  and  the  girl  was  disagreeably  aware 
of  a  little  rustle  of  eagerness  and  curiosity  as  she 
took  her  seat,  and  was  glad  to  have  fairly  gained 
the  shelter  of  the  high-backed  pew  as  she  bent  her 
head.  But  Miss  Prince  the  senior  seemed  calm  , 
she  said  her  prayer,  settled  herself  as  usual,  put 
ting  the  footstool  in  its  right  place  and  finding  the 
psalms  and  the  collect.  She  then  laid  the  prayer- 
book  on  the  cushion  beside  her  and  folded  her 


HOSTESS  AND   GUEST.  229 

hands  in  her  lap,  before  she  turned  discreetly  to 
say  good-morning  to  Miss  Fraley,  and  exchange 
greetings  until  the  clergyman  made  his  appear 
ance.  Nan  had  taken  the  seat  next  the  pew 
door,  and  was  looking  about  her  with  great  inter 
est,  forgetting  herself  and  her  aunt  as  she  won 
dered  that  so  dear  and  quaint  a  place  of  worship 
should  be  still  left  in  her  iconoclastic  native  coun 
try.  She  had  seen  nothing  even  in  Boston  like 
this,  there  were  so  many  antique  splendors  about 
the  chancel,  and  many  mural  tablets  on  the  walls, 
where  she  read  with  sudden  delight  her  own  fam 
ily  name  and  the  list  of  virtues  which  had  be 
longed  to  some  of  her  ancestors.  The  dear  old 
place  !  there  never  had  been  and  never  could  be 
any  church  like  it ;  it  seemed  to  have  been  wait 
ing  all  her  life  for  her  to  come  to  say  her  prayers 
where  so  many  of  her  own  people  had  brought 
their  sins  and  sorrows  in  the  long  years  that  were 
gone.  She  only  wished  that  the  doctor  were  with 
her,  and  the  same  feeling  that  used  to  make  her 
watch  for  him  in  her  childhood  until  he  smiled 
back  again  filled  all  her  loving  and  grateful  heart. 
She  knew  that  he  must  be  thinking  of  her  that 
morning ;  he  was  not  in  church  himself,  he  had 
planned  a  long  drive  to  the  next  town  but  one, 
to  see  a  dying  man,  who  seemed  to  be  helped  only 
by  this  beloved  physician's  presence.  There  had 
been  some  talk  between  Dr.  Leslie  and  Nan  about 
a  medicine  which  might  possibly  be  of  use,  and 
she  found  herself  thinking  about  that  again  and 


230  A    COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

again.  She  had  reminded  the  doctor  of  it  and  lie 
had  seemed  very  pleased.  It  must  be  longer  ago 
than  yesterday  since  she  left  Oldfields,  it  already 
counted  for  half  a  lifetime. 

One  listener  at  least  was  not  resentful  because 
the  sermon  was  neither  wise  nor  great,  for  she 
had  so  many  things  to  think  of  ;  but  while  she  was 
sometimes  lost  in  her  own  thoughts,  Nan  stole  a 
look  at  the  thinly  filled  galleries  now  and  then, 
and  at  one  time  was  pleased  with  the  sight  of  the 
red-cheeked  cherubs  which  seemed  to  have  been 
caught  like  clumsy  insects  and  pinned  as  a  sort  of 
tawdry  decoration  above  the  tablets  where  the 
Apostle's  Creed  and  the  Ten  Commandments  were 
printed  in  faded  gilt  letters.  The  letter  s  was  made 
long  in  these  copies  and  the  capitals  were  of  an 
almost  forgotten  pattern,  and  after  Nan  had  dis 
covered  her  grandfather's  name  in  the  prayer- 
book  she  held,  and  had  tried  again  to  listen  to  the 
discourse,  she  smiled  at  the  discovery  of  a  famil 
iar  face  in  one  of  the  wall  pews.  It  somehow 
gave  her  a  feeling  of  security  as  being  a  link  with 
her  past  experiences,  and  she  looked  eagerly  again 
and  again  until  this  old  acquaintance,  who  also 
was  a  stranger  and  a  guest  in  Dunport,  happened 
to  direct  a  careless  glance  toward  her,  and  a  some 
what  dull  and  gloomy  expression  was  changed  for 
surprised  and  curious  recognition.  When  church 
was  over  at  last  Miss  Prince  seemed  to  have  a 
great  deal  to  say  to  her  neighbor  in  the  next  pew, 
and  Nan  stood  in  her  place  waiting  until  her  aunt 


HOSTESS  AND   GUEST.  231 

was  ready.  More  than  one  person  Lad  lingered 
to  make  sure  of  a  distinct  impression  of  the  inter 
esting  stranger  who  had  made  one  of  the  morning 
congregation,  and  Nan  smiled  suddenly  as  she 
thought  that  it  might  seem  proper  that  she  and 
her  aunt  should  walk  down  the  aisle  together  as 
if  they  had  been  married,  or  as  if  the  ceremony 
were  finished  which  she  had  anticipated  as  they 
came  in.  And  Miss  Prince  did  make  an  admi 
rable  exit  from  the  church,  mustering  all  her  self- 
possession  and  taking  stately  steps  at  her  niece's 
side,  while  she  sometimes  politely  greeted  her  ac 
quaintances.  There  were  flickering  spots  of  color 
in  her  cheeks  when  they  were  again  in  the  sun 
shiny  street. 

"  It  is  really  the  first  day  this  summer  when  I 
have  needed  my  parasol,"  said  Aunt  Nancy,  as  she 
unfurled  the  carefully  preserved  article  of  her  ward 
robe  and  held  it  primly  aloft.  "I  am  so  sorry 
that  our  rector  was  absent  this  morning.  I  sup 
pose  that  you  have  attended  an  Episcopal  church 
sometimes ;  I  am  glad  that  you  seem  to  be  familiar 
with  the  service ;  "  to  which  Nan  replied  that  she 
had  been  confirmed  while  she  was  first  at  boarding- 
school,  and  this  seemed  to  give  her  aunt  great  sat 
isfaction.  "  Very  natural  and  proper,  my  dear," 
she  said.  "  It  is  one  thing  I  have  always  wished 
when  I  thought  of  you  at  serious  moments.  But 
I  was  persuaded  that  you  were  far  from  such  in 
fluences,  and  that  there  would  be  nothing  in  your 
surroundings  to  encourage  your  inherited  love  of 
the  church." 


232  A   COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

"I  have  always  liked  it  best,"  said  Nan,  who 
seemed  all  at  once  to  grow  taller.  "  But  I  think 
one  should  care  more  about  being  a  good  woman 
than  a  good  Episcopalian,  Aunt  Nancy." 

"  No  doubt,"  said  the  elder  woman,  a  little  con 
fused  and  dismayed,  though  she  presently  rallied 
her  forces  and  justly  observed  that  the  rules  of 
the  church  were  a  means  to  the  end  of  good  liv 
ing,  and  happily,  before  any  existing  differences  of 
opinion  could  be  discovered,  they  were  interrupted 
by  a  pleasant-faced  young  man,  who  lifted  his  hat 
and  gracefully  accepted  his  introduction  to  the 
younger  Miss  Prince. 

"  This  is  Mr.  George  Gerry,  Anna,  one  of  my 
young  friends,"  smiled  Aunt  Nancy,  and  saying,  as 
she  walked  more  slowly,  "  You  must  come  to  see  us 
soon,  for  I  shall  have  to  depend  upon  the  younger 
people  to  make  my  niece's  stay  agreeable." 

"  I  was  looking  forward  to  my  Sunday  evening 
visit,"  the  wayfarer  said  hesitatingly  ;  "  you  have 
not  told  me  yet  that  I  must  not  come ; "  which 
appeal  was  only  answered  by  a  little  laugh  from 
all  three,  as  they  separated.  And  Miss  Prince  had 
time  to  be  quite  eloquent  in  her  favorite's  praise 
before  they  reached  home.  Nan  thought  her  first 
Dunport  acquaintance  very  pleasant,  and  frankly 
said  so.  This  seemed  to  be  very  gratifying  to  her 
aunt,  and  they  walked  toward  home  together  by 
a  roundabout  way  and  in  excellent  spirits.  It 
seemed  more  and  more  absurd  to  Nan  that  the 
long  feud  and  almost  tragic  state  of  family  affairs 


HOSTESS  AND   GUEST.  233 

should  have  come  to  so  prosaic  a  conclusion,  and 
that  she  who  had  been  the  skeleton  of  her  aunt's 
ancestral  closet  should  have  dared  to  emerge  and 
to  walk  by  her  side  through  the  town.  After  all, 
here  was  another  proof  of  the  wisdom  of  the  old 
Spanish  proverb,  that  it  takes  two  to  make  a 
quarrel,  but  only  one  to  end  it. 


XVI. 

A  JUNE  SUNDAY. 

IT  was  Miss  Prince's  custom  to  indulge  herself 
by  taking  a  long  Sunday  afternoon  nap  in  sum 
mer,  though  on  this  occasion  she  spoke  of  it  to 
her  niece  as  only  a  short  rest.  She  was  glad  to 
gain  the  shelter  of  her  own  room,  and  as  she 
brushed  a  little  dust  from  her  handsome  silk 
gown  before  putting  it  away  she  held  it  at  arm's 
length  and  shook  it  almost  indignantly.  Then 
she  hesitated  a  moment  and  looked  around  the 
comfortable  apartment  with  a  fierce  disdain.  "  I 
wonder  what  gives  me  such  a  sense  of  impor 
tance,"  she  whispered.  "  I  have  been  making 
mistakes  my  whole  life  long,  and  giving  excuses 
to  myself  for  not  doing  my  duty.  I  wish  I  had 
made  her  a  proper  allowance,  to  say  the  least. 
Everybody  must  be  laughing  at  me  !  "  and  Miss 
Prince  actually  stamped  her  foot.  It  had  been 
difficult  to  keep  up  an  appearance  of  self-respect, 
but  her  pride  had  helped  her  in  that  laudable  ef 
fort,  and  as  she  lay  down  on  the  couch  she  tried 
to  satisfy  herself  with  the  assurance  that  her  niece 
should  have  her  rights  now,  and  be  treated  justly 
at  last. 


A  JUNE  SUNDAY.  235 

Miss  Fraley  had  come  in  to  pay  a  brief  visit 
on  her  way  to  Sunday-school  just  as  they  finished 
dinner,  and  had  asked  Nan  to  tea  the  following 
Wednesday,  expressing  also  a  hope  that  she  would 
come  sooner  to  call,  quite  without  ceremony. 
Finding  the  state  of  affairs  so  pleasant,  Miss  Eu 
nice  ventured  to  say  that  Nan's  father  had  been  a 
favorite  of  her  mother,  who  was  now  of  uncom 
mon  age.  Miss  Prince  became  suddenly  stern, 
but  it  was  only  a  passing  cloud,  which  disturbed 
nobody. 

Nan  had  accepted  willingly  the  offered  apolo 
gies  and  gayly  wished  her  aunt  a  pleasant  dream, 
but  being  wide  awake  she  gladly  made  use  of  the 
quiet  time  to  send  a  letter  home,  and  to  stroll 
down  the  garden  afterward.  It  all  seemed  so 
unlike  what  she  had  expected,  yet  her  former 
thoughts  about  her  aunt  were  much  more  difficult 
to  recall  as  every  hour  went  by  and  made  the  im 
pression  of  actual  things  more  distinct.  Her  fan 
cied  duty  to  a  lonely  old  lady  who  mourned  over  a 
sad  past  seemed  quite  quixotic  when  she  watched 
this  brisk  woman  come  and  go  without  any  hin 
drance  of  age,  or,  now  that  the  first  meeting  was 
over,  any  appearance  of  former  melancholy.  As 
our  friend  went  down  the  garden  she  told  herself 
that  she  was  glad  to  have  come ;  it  was  quite 
right,  and  it  was  very  pleasant,  though  there 
was  no  particular  use  in  staying  there  long,  and 
after  a  few  days  she  would  go  away.  Somehow 
her  life  seemed  a  great  deal  larger  for  this  new 


236  A   COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

experience,  and  she  would  try  to  repeat  the  visit 
occasionally.  She  wished  to  get  Dun  port  itself  by 
heart,  but  she  had  become  so  used  to  giving  the 
best  of  herself  to  her  studies,  that  she  was  a  lit^ 
tie  shy  of  the  visiting  and  the  tea-parties  and  the 
apparently  fruitless  society  life  of  which  she  had 
already  learned  something.  "I  suppose  the  doc 
tor  would  say  it  is  good  for  me,"  said  Nan,  some 
what  grimly,  "  but  I  think  it  is  most  satisfactory 
to  <be  with  the  persons  whose  interests  and  pur 
poses  are  the  same  as  one's  own."  The  feeling 
of  a  lack  of  connection  with  the  people  whom  she 
had  met  made  life  appear  somewhat  blank.  She 
had  already  gained  a  certain  degree  of  affection 
for  her  aunt ;  to  say  the  least  she  was  puzzled  to 
account  for  such  an  implacable  hostility  as  had 
lasted  for  years  in  the  breast  of  a  person  so  ap 
parently  friendly  and  cordial  in  her  relations  with 
her  neighbors.  Our  heroine  was  slow  to  recog 
nize  in  her  relative  the  same  strength  of  will 
and  of  determination  which  made  the  framework 
of  her  own  character,  —  an  iron-like  firmness  of 
structure  which  could  not  be  easily  shaken  by 
the  changes  or  opinions  of  other  people.  Miss 
Prince's  acquaintances  called  her  a  very  set  per 
son,  and  were  shy  of  intruding  into  her  secret 
fastnesses.  There  were  all  the  traits  of  character 
which  are  necessary  for  the  groundwork  of  an  en 
terprising  life,  but  Miss  Prince  seemed  to  have 
neither  inherited  nor  acquired  any  high  aims  or 
any  especial  and  fruitful  single-heartedness,  so  hei 


A  JUNE  SUNDAY.  237 

gifts  of  persistence  and  self-confidence  Lad  ranked 
themselves  for  the  defense  of  a  comparatively  un 
important  and  commonplace  existence.  As  has 
been  said,  she  forbade,  years  before,  any  mention 
of  her  family  troubles,  and  had  lived  on  before 
the  world  as  if  they  could  be  annihilated,  and  not 
only  were  not  observable,  but  never  had  been. 
In  a  more  thoughtful  and  active  circle  of  social 
life  the  contrast  between  her  rare  capacity  and 
her  unnoticeable  career  would  have  been  more 
striking.  She  stood  as  a  fine  representative  of 
the  old  school,  but  it  could  not  be  justly  said  that 
she  was  a  forward  scholar,  since,  however  sure  of 
some  of  her  early  lessons,  she  was  most  dull  and 
reluctant  before  new  ones  of  various  enlightening 
and  uplifting  descriptions. 

Nan  had  observed  that  her  aunt  had  looked 
very  tired  and  spent  as  she  went  up-stairs  after 
dinner,  and  understood  better  than  she  had  before 
that  this  visit  was  moving  the  waters  of  Miss 
Prince's  soul  more  deeply  than  had  been  sus 
pected.  She  gained  a  new  sympathy,  and  as 
the  hours  of  the  summer  afternoon  went  by  she 
thought  of  a  great  many  things  which  had  not 
been  quite  plain  to  her,  and  strolled  about  the 
garden  until  she  knew  that  by  heart,  and  had 
made  friends  with  the  disorderly  company  of 
ladies-delights  and  periwinkles  which  had  cropped 
up  everywhere,  as  if  the  earth  were  capable  of 
turning  itself  into  such  small  blossoms  without 
anybody's  help,  after  so  many  years  of  unvarying 


238  A   COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

tuition.  The  cherry -trees  and  pear-trees  had  a 
most  venerable  look,  and  the  plum-trees  were  in 
dismal  mourning  of  black  knots.  There  was  a 
damp  and  shady  corner  where  Nan  found  a  great 
many  lilies  of  the  valley  still  lingering,  though 
they  had  some  time  ago  gone  out  of  bloom  in  the 
more  sunshiny  garden  at  Oldfields.  She  remem 
bered  that  there  were  no  flowers  in  the  house  and 
gathered  a  great  handful  at  last  of  one  sort  and 
another  to  carry  in. 

The  dining-room  was  very  dark,  and  Nan 
wished  at  first  to  throw  open  the  blinds  which 
had  been  carefully  closed.  It  seemed  too  early 
in  the  summer  to  shut  out  the  sunshine,  but  it 
seemed  also  a  little  too  soon  to  interfere  with  the 
housekeeping,  and  so  she  brought  two  or  three 
tall  champagne  glasses  from  a  high  shelf  of  the 
closet  and  filled  them  with  her  posies,  and  after 
putting  them  in  their  places,  went  back  to  the 
garden.  There  was  a  perfect  silence  in  the  house, 
except  for  the  sound  of  the  tall  clock  in  the  din 
ing-room,  and  it  seemed  very  lonely.  She  had 
taken  another  long  look  at  her  father's  portrait, 
but  as  she  shut  the  rusty-hinged  garden  gate  after 
her,  she  smiled  at  the  thought  of  her  unusual  idle 
ness,  and  wondered  if  it  need  last  until  Tuesday, 
which  was  the  day  she  had  fixed  upon  for  her  de 
parture.  Nan  wished  that  she  dared  to  go  away 
for  a  long  walk ;  it  was  a  pity  she  had  not  told  her 
aunt  of  a  wish  to  see  something  of  the  town  and 
of  the  harbor-side  that  afternoon,  but  it  would  cer- 


A  JUNE  SUNDAY.  239 

tainly  be  a  little  strange  if  she  were  to  disappear, 
and  very  likely  tbe  long  nap  would  soon  come  to 
an  end.  Being  well  taught  in  the  details  of  gar 
dening,  she  took  a  knife  from  her  pocket  and 
pruned  and  trained  the  shrubs  and  vines,  and  sang 
softly  to  herself  as  she  thought  about  her  next 
winter's  study  and  her  plans  for  the  rest  of  the 
summer,  and  also  decided  that  she  would  insist 
upon  the  doctor's  going  away  with  her  for  a  jour 
ney  when  she  reached  home  again. 

After  a  little  while  she  heard  her  aunt  open 
the  blijids  of  the  garden  door  and  call  her  in  most 
friendly  tones,  and  when  she  reached  the  house 
Miss  Prince  was  in  the  south  parlor  entertaining 
a  visitor,  —  Captain  Walter  Parish,  who  had  gladly 
availed  himself  of  some  trifling  excuse  of  a  busi 
ness  nature,  which  involved  the  signing  and  send 
ing  of  a  paper  by  the  early  post  of  next  day.  He 
was  going  to  his  daughter's  to  tea,  and  it  was  quite 
a  long  drive  to  her  house,  so  he  had  not  dared  to 
put  off  his  errand,  he  explained,  lest  he  should  be 
detained  in  the  evening.  But  he  had  been  also 
longing 'to  take  a  look  at  Miss  Prince's  guest. 
His  wife  went  to  another  church  and  he  dutifully 
accompanied  her,  though  he  had  been  brought  up 
with  Miss  Prince  at  old  St.  Ann's. 

"So  this  is  my  young  cousin  ?  "  said  the  cap 
tain  gallantly,  and  with  great  simplicity  and  ten 
derness  held  both  Nan's  hands  and  looked  full  in 
her  face  a  moment  before  he  kissed  her ;  then  to 
Miss  Prince's  great  discomposure  and  embarrass- 


240  A    COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

ment  he  turned  to  the  window  and  looked  out 
without  saying  a  word,  though  he  drew  the  back 
of  his  hand  across  his  eyes  in  sailor-fashion,  as  if 
he  wished  to  make  them  clear  while  he  sighted 
something  on  the  horizon.  Miss  Prince  thought  it 
was  all  nonsense  and  would  have  liked  to  say  so, 
though  she  trusted  that  her  silence  was  eloquent 
enough. 

"  She  brings  back  the  past,"  said  Captain  Wal 
ter  as  he  returned  presently  and  seated  himself 
where  he  could  look  at  Nan  as  much  as  he  liked. 
"  She  brings  back  the  past." 

"  You  were  speaking  of  old  Captain  Slater," 
reminded  Miss  Prince  with  some  dignity. 

"  I  just  came  from  there,"  said  Captain  Parish, 
with  his  eyes  still  fixed  on  his  young  relative, 
though  it  was  with  such  a  friendly  gaze  that  Nan 
was  growing  fonder  of  him  every  minute.  "  They 
told  me  he  was  about  the  same  as  yesterday.  I 
offered  to  watch  with  him  to-morrow  night.  And 
how  do  you  like  the  looks  of  Dun  port,  my  dear?  " 

Nan  answered  eagerly  with  brightening  face, 
and  added  that  she  was  longing  to  see  more  of  it ; 
the  old  wharves  especially. 

"  Now  that 's  good,"  said  the  captain ;  "  I  won 
der  if  you  would  care  anything  about  taking  a 
stroll  with  me  in  the  morning.  Your  aunt  here  is 
a  famous  housekeeper,  and  will  be  glad  to  get  you 
off  her  hands,  I  dare  say." 

Nan  eagerly  accepted,  and  though  it  was  sug 
gested  that  Miss  Prince  had  a  plan  for  showing 


A  JUNE  SUNDAY.  241 

the  town  in  the  afternoon,  she  was  promptly  told 
that  there  was  nothing  easier  than  taking  both 
these  pleasant  opportunities.  "  You  would  lose 
yourself  among  the  old  store-houses,  I  'm  sure, 
Nancy,"  laughed  the  old  sailor,  "  and  you  must 
let  me  have  my  way.  It 's  a  chance  one  does  n't 
get  every  day,  to  tell  the  old  Dunport  stories  to  a 
new  listener." 

Some  one  had  opened  the  front  door,  and  was 
heard  coming  along  the  hall.  "  This  is  very  kind, 
George,"  said  Miss  Prince,  with  much  pleasure, 
while  the  captain  looked  a  little  disconcerted  at 
his  young  rival ;  he  assured  himself  that  he  would 
make  a  long  morning's  cruise  of  it,  next  day,  with 
this  attractive  sight-seer,  and  for  once  the  young 
beaux  would  be  at  a  disadvantage ;  the  girls  of 
his  own  day  used  to  think  him  one  of  the  best 
of  their  gallants,  and  at  this  thought  the  captain 
was  invincible.  Mr.  Gerry  must  take  the  second 
chance. 

The  blinds  were  open  now,  and  the  old  room 
seemed  very  pleasant.  Nan's  brown  hair  had 
been  blown  about  not  a  little  in  the  garden,  and 
as  she  sat  at  the  end  of  the  long,  brass-nailed 
sofa,  a  ray  of  sunshine  touched  the  glass  of  a  pic 
ture  behind  her  and  flew  forward  again  to  tangle 
itself  in  her  stray  locks,  so  that  altogether  there 
was  a  sort  of  golden  halo  about  her  pretty  head. 
And  young  Gerry  thought  he  had  never  seen 
anything  so  charming.  The  white  frock  was  a 
welcome  addition  to  the  usually  sombre  room,  and 


242  A    COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

his  eyes  quickly  saw  the  flowers  on  the  table.  He 
knew  instantly  that  the  bouquet  was  none  of  Miss 
Prince's  gathering. 

"  I  hope  you  won't  think  I  mean  to  stay  as 
much  too  late  as  I  have  come  too  early,"  he 
laughed.  "  I  must  go  away  soon  after  tea,  for  I 
have  promised  to  talk  with  the  captain  of  a 
schooner  which  is  to  sail  in  the  morning.  Mr. 
Wills  luckily  found  out  that  he  could  give  some 
evidence  in  a  case  we  are  working  up." 

"  The  collision  ?  "  asked  Captain  Parish,  eagerly. 
"  I  was  wondering  to-day  when  I  saw  the  High 
flyer's  foremast  between  the  buildings  on  Fleet 
Street  as  I  went  to  meeting,  if  they  were  going  to 
let  her  lie  there  and  dry-rot.  I  don't  think  she  's 
being  taken  proper  care  of.  I  must  say  I  hate  to 
see  a  good  vessel  go  to  ruin  when  there  's  no  need 
of  it." 

"The  man  in  charge  was  recommended  very 
highly,  and  everything  seemed  to  be  all  right 
when  I  was  on  board  one  day  this  week,"  said 
young  Gerry,  good-naturedly,  and  turned  to  ex 
plain  to  Nan  that  this  vessel  had  been  damaged 
by  collision  with  another,  and  the  process  of  set 
tling  the  matter  by  litigation  had  been  provok- 
ingly  slow. 

The  captain  listened  with  impatience.  "  I  dare 
say  she  looked  very  well  to  your  eyes,  but  I  'd 
rather  have  an  old  shipmaster's  word  for  it  than 
a  young  lawyer's.  I  have  n't  boarded  her  for 
some  weeks;  I  dare  say  'twas  before  the  snow 


A  JUNE  SUNDAY.  243 

was  gone  ;  but  she  certainly  needed  attention 
then.  I  saw  some  bad-looking  places  in  the 
sheathing  and  planking.  There  ought  to  be  a 
coat  of  paint  soon,  and  plenty  of  tar  carried  aloft 
besides,  or  there  '11  be  a  long  bill  for  somebody  to 
pay  before  she  's  seaworthy." 

"  I  wish  you  would  make  a  careful  inspection 
of  her,"  said  the  young  man,  with  gratifying  def 
erence.  "  I  don't  doubt  that  it  is  necessary ;  I  will 
see  that  you  are  well  satisfied  for  your  services. 
Of  course  the  captain  himself  should  have  stayed 
there  and  kept  charge,  but  you  remember  he  was 
sick  and  had  to  resign.  He  looks  feeble  yet.  I 
hope  nothing  will  happen  to  him  before  the  mat 
ter  Js  settled  up,  but  we  are  sure  of  the  trial  in 
September." 

"  She  's  going  to  be  rigged  with  some  of  your 
red  tape,  I  'm  afraid,"  said  Captain  Parish,  with 
great  friendliness.  "  I  don't  see  any  reason  why 
I  can't  look  her  over  to-morrow  morning,  I  'm 
obliged  to  you,  or  at  least  make  a  beginning," 
and  he  gave  a  most  knowing  nod  at  Nan,  as  if 
they  would  divide  the  pleasure.  "  I  '11  make  the 
excuse  of  showing  this  young  lady  the  construe- 
tion  of  a  good-sized  merchant  vessel,  and  then  the 
keeper  can't  feel  affronted.  She  is  going  to  take 
a  stroll  with  me  along  the  wharves,"  he  con 
cluded,  triumphantly.  While  Mr.  Gerry  looked 
wistful  for  a  moment,  and  Miss  Prince  quickly 
took  advantage  of  a  pause  in  the  conversation  to 
ask  if  he  knew  whether  anything  pleasant  was 


244  A   COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

going  forward  among  the  young  people  this  week. 
She  did  not  wish  her  niece  to  have  too  dull  a 
visit. 

"  Some  of  us  are  going  up  the  river  very  soon," 
said  the  young  man,  with  eager  pleasure,  looking 
at  Nan.  "  It  would  be  so  pleasant  if  Miss  Prince 
would  join  us.  We  think  our  Dunport  supper 
parties  of  that  sort  would  be  hard  to  match." 

"  The  young  folks  will  all  be  flocking  here  by 
to-morrow,"  said  the  captain  ;  and  Miss  Prince 
answered  "  Surely,"  in  a  tone  of  command,  rather 
than  entreaty.  She  knew  very  well  how  the  news 
of  Nan's  coining  must  be  flying  about  the  town, 
and  she  almost  regretted  the  fact  of  her  own  pre 
vious  silence  about  this  great  event.  In  the  mean 
time  Nan  was  talking  to  the  two  gentlemen  as  if 
she  had  already  been  to  her  room  to  smooth  her 
hair,  which  her  aunt  looked  at  reproachfully  from 
time  to  time,  though  the  sunshine  had  not  wholly 
left  it.  The  girl  was  quite  unconscious  of  herself, 
and  glad  to  have  the  company  and  sympathy  of 
these  kind  friends.  She  thought  once  that  if  she 
had  a  brother  she  would  like  him  to  be  of  young 
Mr.  Gerry's  fashion.  He  had  none  of  the  manner 
which  constantly  insisted  upon  her  remembering 
that  he  was  a  man  and  she  a  girl ;  she  could  be 
good  friends  with  him  in  the  same  way  that  she 
had  been  with  some  Oldfields  schoolfellows,  and 
after  the  captain  had  reluctantly  taken  his  leave, 
they  had  a  pleasant  talk  about  out-of-door  life  and 
their  rides  and  walks,  and  were  soon  exchanging 


A  JUNE  SUNDAY.  245 

experiences  in  a  way  that  Miss  Nancy  smiled  upon 
gladly.  It  was  not  to  be  wondered  at  that  she  could 
not  get  used  to  so  great  a  change  in  her  life.  She 
could  not  feel  sure  yet  that  she  no  longer  had  a 
secret,  and  that  this  was  the  niece  whom  she  had 
so  many  years  dreaded  and  disclaimed.  George 
Gerry  had  taken  the  niece's  place  in  her  affec 
tions,  yet  here  was  Anna,  her  own  namesake, 
who  showed  plainly  in  so  many  ways  the  same 
descent  as  herself,  being  as  much  a  Prince  as  her 
self  in  spite  of  her  mother's  low  origin  and  worse 
personal  traits,  and  the  loutish  companions  to 
whom  she  had  always  persuaded  herself  poor  Nan 
was  akin.  And  it  was  by  no  means  sure  that  the 
last  of  the  Princes  was  not  the  best  of  them ;  she 
was  very  proud  of  her  brother's  daughter,  and  was 
more  at  a  loss  to  know  how  to  make  excuses  for 
being  shortsighted  and  neglectful.  Miss  Prince 
hated  to  think  that  Nan  had  any  but  the  pleas- 
antest  associations  with  her  nearest  relative  ;  she 
must  surely  keep  the  girl's  affection  now.  She 
meant  to  insist  at  any  rate  upon  Dunport's  being 
her  niece's  home  for  the  future,  though  undoubt 
edly  it  would  be  hard  at  first  to  break  with  the 
many  associations  of  Oldfields.  She  must  write 
that  very  night  to  Dr.  Leslie  to  thank  him  for  his 
care,  and  to  again  express  her  regret  that  Anna's 
misguided  young  mother  should  have  placed  such 
restrictions  upon  the  child's  relations  with  her 
nearest  of  kin,  and  so  have  broken  the  natural 
ties  of  nature.  And  she  would  not  stop  there ; 


246  A   COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

she  would  blame  herself  generously  and  say  how 
sorry  she  was  that  she  had  been  governed  by  her 
painful  recollections  of  a  time  she  should  now 
strive  to  forget.  Dr.  Leslie  must  be  asked  to 
come  and  join  his  ward  for  a  few  days,  and  then 
they  would  settle  her  plans  for  the  future.  She 
should  give  her  niece  a  handsome  allowance  at 
any  rate,  and  then,  as  Miss  Prince  looked  across 
the  room  and  forgot  her  own  thoughts  in  listening 
to  the  young  people's  friendly  talk,  a  sudden  pur 
pose  flashed  through  her  mind.  The  dream  of 
her  heart  began  to  unfold  itself  slowly :  could 
anything  be  so  suitable,  so  comforting  to  her  own 
mind,  as  that  they  should  marry  each  other  ? 

Two  days  before,  her  pleasure  and  pride  in  the 
manly  fellow,  who  was  almost  as  dear  to  her  as  an 
own  son  could  be,  would  have  been  greatly  shocked, 
but  Miss  Prince's  heart  began  to  beat  quickly.  It 
would  be  such  a  blessed  solution  of  all  the  puzzles 
and  troubles  of  her  life  if  she  could  have  both  the 
young  people  near  her  through  the  years  that  re 
mained,  and  when  she  died,  or  even  before,  they 
could  live  here  in  the  old  house,  and  begin  a  new 
and  better  order  of  things  in  the  place  of  her  own 
failures  and  shortcomings.  It  was  all  so  distinct 
and  possible  in  Miss  Prince's  mind  that  only  time 
seemed  necessary,  and  even  the  time  could  be 
made  short.  She  would  not  put  any  hindrances 
between  them  and  their  blessed  decision.  As  she 
went  by  them  to  seek  Priscilla,  she  smoothed  the 
cushion  which  Nan  had  leaned  upon  before  she 


A  JUNE  SUNDAY.  247 

moved  a  little  nearer  George  Gerry  in  some  sud 
den  excitement  of  the  conversation,  which  had 
begun  while  the  captain  was  still  there,  and  there 
was  a  needless  distance  between  them.  Then 
Miss  Prince  let  her  hand  rest  for  a  minute  on  the 
girl's  soft  hair.  "  You  must  ask  Mr.  Gerry  to 
excuse  you  for  a  few  minutes,  my  dear,  you  have 
been  quite  blown  about  in  the  garden.  I  meant 
to  join  you  there." 

"  It  is  a  dear  old  garden,"  said  Nan.  "  I  can't 
help  being  almost  as  fond  of  it  already  as  I  am  of 
ours  at  home  ;  "  but  though  Aunt  Nancy's  un 
wonted  caress  had  been  so  unlike  her  conduct  in 
general,  this  reference  to  Oldfields  called  her  to 
her  senses,  and  she  went  quickly  away.  She  did 
not  like  to  hear  Nan  speak  in  such  loving  fashion 
of  a  house  where  she  had  no  real  right. 

But  when  Mr.  George  Gerry  was  left  alone,  he 
had  pleasant  thoughts  come  flocking  in  to  keep 
him  company  in  the  ladies'  stead.  He  had  not 
dreamed  of  such  a  pleasure  as  this  ;  who  could 
have?  and  what  could  Aunt  Nancy  think  of  her 
self! 

"  It  is  such  a  holiday,"  said  Nan,  when  tea  was 
fairly  begun,  and  her  new  friend  was  acknowledg 
ing  an  uncommon  attack  of  hunger,  and  they  were 
all  merry  in  a  sedate  way  to  suit  Miss  Prince's 
ideas  and  preferences.  "  I  have  been  quite  the 
drudge  this  winter  over  my  studies,  and  I  feel 
young  and  idle  again,  now  that  I  am  making  all 
these  pleasant  plans."  For  Mr.  Gerry  had  been 


248  A    COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

talking  enthusiastically  about  some  excursions  he 
should  arrange  to  certain  charming  places  in  the 
region  of  Dunport.  Both  he  and  Miss  Prince 
smiled  when  Nan  announced  that  she  was  young 
and  idle,  and  a  moment  afterward  the  aunt  asked 
doubtfully  about  her  niece's  studies ;  she  supposed 
that  Anna  was  done  with  schools. 

Nan  stopped  her  hand  as  it  reached  for  the  cup 
which  Miss  Prince  had  just  filled.  "School; 
yes,"  she  answered,  somewhat  bewildered ;  "  but 
you  know  I  am  studying  medicine."  This  most 
important  of  all  facts  had  been  so  present  to  her 
own  mind,  even  in  the  excitement  and  novelty  of 
her  new  surroundings,  that  she  could  not  under 
stand  that  her  aunt  was  still  entirely  ignorant  of 
the  great  purpose  of  her  life. 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?  "  demanded  Miss  Prince, 
coldly,  and  quickly  explained  to  their  somewhat 
amused  and  astonished  companion,  "  My  niece 
has  been  the  ward  of  a  distinguished  physician, 
and  it  is  quite  natural  she  should  have  become 
interested  in  his  pursuits." 

"But  I  am  really  studying  medicine ;  it  is  to  be 
my  profession,"  persisted  Nan  fearlessly,  though 
she  was  sorry  that  she  had  spoiled  the  harmony 
of  the  little  company.  "  And  my  whole  heart  is 
in  it,  Aunt  Nancy." 

"  Nonsense,  my  dear,"  returned  Miss  Prince, 
who  had  recovered  her  self-possession  partially, 
"  Your  father  gave  promise  of  attaining  great 
eminence  in  a  profession  that  was  very  proper  for 


A  JUNE  SUNDAY.  249 

him,  but  I  thought  better  of  Dr.  Leslie  than  this. 
T  cannot  understand  his  indulgence  of  such  a  silly 
notion." 

George  Gerry  felt  very  uncomfortable.  He  had 
been  a  good  deal  shocked,  but  he  had  a  strong 
impulse  to  rush  into  the  field  as  Nan's  champion, 
though  it- were  quite  against  his  conscience.  She 
had  been  too  long  in  a  humdrum  country-town 
with  no  companion  but  an  elderly  medical  man. 
And  after  a  little  pause  he  made  a  trifling  joke 
about  their  making  the  best  of  the  holiday,  and 
the  talk  was  changed  to  other  subjects.  The  tide 
was  strong  against  our  heroine,  but  she  had  been 
assailed  before,  and  had  no  idea  of  sorrowing  yet 
over  a  lost  cause.  And  for  once  Miss  Prince  was 
in  a  hurry  for  Mr.  Gerry  to  go  away. 


XVIL 

BY  THE  RIVER. 

As  Nan  went  down  the  street  next  morning 
with  Captain  Parish,  who  had  been  most  prompt 
in  keeping  his  appointment,  they  were  met  by  Mr. 
Gerry  and  a  young  girl  who  proved  to  be  Captain 
Parish's  niece  and  the  bearer  of  a  cordial  invitation. 
It  would  be  just  the  evening  for  a  boat-party, 
and  it  was  hoped  that  Miss  Prince  the  younger 
would  be  ready  to  go  up  the  river  at  half-past  five. 

"  Dear  me,  yes,"  said  the  captain  ;  "  your  aunt 
will  be  pleased  to  have  you  go,  I  'm  sure.  These 
idle  young  folks  must  n't  expect  us  to  turn  back 
now,  though,  to  have  a  visit  from  you.  We  have 
no  end  of  business  on  hand." 

"  If  Miss  Prince  will  remember  that  I  was  really 
on  my  way  to  see  her,"  said  Mary  Parish  pleas 
antly,  while  she  looked  with  eager  interest  at  the 
stranger.  The  two  girls  were  quite  ready  to  be 
friends.  "  We  will  just  stop  to  tell  your  aunt,  lest 
she  should  make  some  other  plan  for  you,"  she 
added,  giving  Nan  a  nod  that  was  almost  affec 
tionate.  "  We  have  hardly  used  the  boats  this 
year,  it  has  been  such  a  cold,  late  spring,  and  we 
hope  for  a  very  good  evening.  George  and  I  will 


BY  THE  RIVER.  251 

call  for  you,"  and  George,  who  had  been  listening 
to  a  suggestion  about  the  ship  business,  smiled 
with  pleasure  as  they  separated. 

•fc  Nice  young  people,"  announced  the  captain, 
who  was  in  a  sympathetic  mood.  "  There  has 
been  some  reason  for  thinking  that  they  meant  to 
take  up  with  each  other  for  good  and  all.  I  don't 
know  that  either  of  them  could  do  better,  though 
I  like  the  girl  best ;  that 's  natural;  she  's  my  broth 
er's  daughter,  and  I  was  her  guardian  ;  she  only 
came  of  age  last  year.  Her  father  and  yours  were 
boys  together,  younger  than  I  am  by  a  dozen  years, 
both  gone  before  me  too,"  sighed  the  captain,  and 
quickly  changed  so  sad  a  subject  by  directing  his 
companion's  attention  to  one  of  the  old  houses, 
and  telling  the  story  of  it  as  they  walked  along. 
Luckily  they  had  the  Highflyer  all  to  themselves 
when  they  reached  the  wharf,  for  the  keeper  had 
gone  up  into  the  town,  and  his  wife,  who  had  set 
up  a  frugal  housekeeping  in  the  captain's  cabin, 
sat  in  the  shade  of  the  house  with  her  sewing, 
the  Monday's  washing  having  been  early  spread  to 
the  breeze  in  a  corner  of  the  main  deck.  She  ac^ 
cepted  Captain  Parish's  explanations  of  his  pres 
ence  with  equanimity,  and  seemed  surprised  and 
amused  at  the  young  landswoman's  curiosity  and 
eagerness,  for  a  ship  was  as  commonplace  to  her 
self  as  any  farm-house  ashore. 

"  Dear  me  !  you  would  n't  know  it  was  the  same 
j»lace,"  said  the  captain,  in  the  course  of  his  enu 
meration  of  the  ropes  and  yards  and  other  myste- 


252  A   COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

rious  furnishings  of  the  old  craft.  "  With  a  good 
crew  aboard,  this  deck  is  as  busy  as  a  town  every 
day.  I  don't  know  how  I'm  going  below  until 
the  keeper  gets  back.  I  suppose  you  don't  want 
me  to  show  you  the  road  to  the  main-to'gallant 
cross-trees ;  once  I  knew  it  as  well  as  anybody, 
and  I  could  make  quicker  time  now  than  most  of 
the  youngsters,"  and  the  captain  gave  a  knowing 
glance  aloft,  while  at  this  moment  somebody 
crossed  the  gangway  plank.  It  was  a  broken- 
down  old  sailor,  who  was  a  familiar  sight  in  Dun- 
port. 

"  Mornin'  to  you,  sir,"  and  the  master  of  the 
Highflyer,  for  the  time  being,  returned  the  salute 
with  a  mixture  of  dignity  and  friendliness. 

"  Goin'  to  take  command  ?  "  chuckled  the  bent 
old  fellow.  "  I  'd  like  to  ship  under  ye  ;  't  would 
n't  be  the  first  time,"  and  he  gave  his  hat  an  un 
settling  shake  with  one  hand  as  he  looked  at  Nan 
for  some  sign  of  recognition,  which  was  quickly 
given. 

"  You  've  shipped  under  better  masters  than  I. 
Any  man  who  followed  the  sea  with  Cap'n  Jack 
Prince  had  more  to  teach  than  to  learn.  And 
here's  his  grand-daughter  before  you,  and  does 
him  credit  too,"  said  Captain  Walter.  "  Anna, 
you  won't  find  many  of  your  grandfather's  men 
about  the  old  wharves,  but  here 's  one  of  the 
smartest  that  ever  had  hold  of  a  hawser." 

"  Goodsoe  by  name  :  I  thank  ye  kindly,  cap'n, 
but  I  ain't  much  account  nowadays,"  said  the 


BY  THE  RIVER.  253 

pleased  old  man,  trying  to  get  the  captain's  start 
ling  announcement  well  settled  in  his  mind.  "  Old 
Cap'n  Jack  Prince's  grand-darter?  Why  Miss 
Nancy's  never  been  brought  to  change  her  mind 
about  nothing,  has  she?  " 

"  It  seems  so,"  answered  Nan's  escort,  laughing 
as  if  this  were  a  good  joke  ;  and  Nan  herself  could 
not  help  smiling. 

"  I  don't  believe  if  the  old  gentleman  can  look 
down  at  ye  he  begrudges  the  worst  of  his  voyages 
nor  the  blackest  night  he  ever  spent  on  deck,  if 
you  're  going  to  have  the  spending  of  the  money. 
Not  but  what  Miss  Prince  has  treated  me  hand 
some  right  straight  along,"  the  old  sailor  explained, 
while  the  inspector,  thinking  this  not  a  safe  subject 
to  continue,  spoke  suddenly  about  some  fault  of 
the  galley  ;  and  after  this  was  discussed,  the  eyes 
of  the  two  practiced  men  sought  the  damaged 
rnizzen  mast,  the  rigging  of  which  was  hanging  in 
snarled  and  broken  lengths.  When  Nan  asked 
for  some  account  of  the  accident,  she  was  told  with 
great  confidence  that  the  Highflyer  had  been 
fouled,  and  that  it  was  the  other  vessel's  fault ; 
at  which  she  was  no  wiser  than  before,  having 
known  already  that  there  had  been  a  collision. 
There  seemed  to  be  room  enough  on  the  high  seas, 
she  ventured  to  say,  or  might  the  mischief  have 
been  done  in  port  ? 

"  It  does  seem  as  if  you  ought  to  know  the  sense 
of  sea  talk  without  any  learning,  being  Cap'n 
Jack  Prince's  grand-darter,"  said  old  Goodsoe ;  for 


254  A    COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

Captain  Parish  had  removed  himself  to  a  little  dis 
tance,  and  was  again  investigating  the  condition  of 
the  ship's  galley,  which  one  might  suppose  to  have 
been  neglected  in  some  unforgivable  way,  judging 
from  his  indignant  grumble. 

"  Fouled,  we  say  aboard  ship,  when  two  ves 
sels  lay  near  enough  so  that  they  drift  alongside. 
You  can  see  what  havick  't  would  make,  for  ten 
to  one  they  don't  part  again  till  they  have  tore 
each  other  all  to  shoestrings ;  the  yards  will  get 
locked  together,  and  the  same  wind  that  starts  one 
craft  starts  both,  and  first  one  and  then  t'  other  lifts 
with  a  wave,  don't  ye  see,  and  tho  rigging  's  spoilt 
in  a  little  time.  I  've  sometimes  called  it  to  mind 
when  I  've  known  o'  married  couples  that  was  n't 
getting  on.  'T  is  easy  to  drift  alongside,  but  no 
matter  if  they  was  bound  to  the  same  port  they  'd 
'a'  done  best  alone  ;  "  and  the  old  fellow  shook  his 
head  solemnly,  and  was  evidently  selecting  one  of 
his  numerous  stories  for  Nan's  edification,  when 
his  superior  officer  came  bustling  toward  them. 

"  You  might  as  well  step  down  here  about  four 
o'clock ;  I  shall  have  the  keys  then.  I  may  want 
you  to  hold  a  lantern  for  me  ;  I  'm  going  into  the 
lower  hold  and  mean  to  do  my  work  thoroughly, 
if  I  do  it  at  all,"  to  which  Goodsoe  responded 
"ay,  ay,  sir,"  in  most  seamanlike  fashion  and 
hobbled  off. 

"  He  'd  have  kept  you  there  all  day,"  whispered 
Captain  Walter.  "  He  always  loved  to  talk,  and 
now  he  has  nothing  else  to  do ;  but  we  are  all 


BY  THE  RIVER.  255 

friendly  to  Goodsoe.  Some  of  us  pay  a  little  every 
year  toward  his  support,  but  he  has  always  made 
himself  very  useful  about  the  wharves  until  this 
last  year  or  two  ;  he  thought  everything  of  your 
grandfather,  and  I  knew  it  would  please  him 
to  speak  to  you.  It  seems  unfortunate  that  you 
should  have  grown  up  anywhere  else  than  here  ; 
but  I  hope  you  '11  stay  now  ?  " 

"  It  is  not  very  likely,"  said  Nan  coldly.  She 
wished  that  the  captain  would  go  on  with  his  sto 
ries  of  the  former  grandeur  of  Dunport,  rather  than 
show  any  desire  to  talk  about  personal  matters. 
She  had  been  little  troubled  at  first  by  her  aunt's 
evident  disapproval  the  evening  before  of  her 
plans  for  the  future,  for  she  was  so  intent  upon 
carrying  them  out  and  certain  that  no  one  had 
any  right  to  interfere.  Still  it  would  have  been 
better  to  have  been  violently  opposed  than  to 
have  been  treated  like  a  child  whose  foolish  whim 
would  soon  be  forgotten  when  anything  better 
offered  itself.  Nan  felt  much  older  than  most 
girls  of  her  years,  and  as  if  her  decisions  were 
quite  as  much  to  be  respected  as  her  aunt's.  She 
had  dealt  already  with  graver  questions  than  most 
persons,  and  her  responsibilities  had  by  no  means 
been  light  ones.  She  felt  sometimes  as  if  she 
were  separated  by  half  a  lifetime  from  the  narrow 
limits  of  school  life.  Yet  there  was  an  uncommon 
childlikeness  about  her  which  not  only  misled 
these  new  friends,  but  many  others  who  had  known 
her  longer.  And  when  these  listened  to  accounts 


256  A    COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

of  her  devotion  to  her  present  studies  and  her 
marked  proficiency,  they  shook  their  wise  heads 
smilingly,  as  if  they  knew  that  the  girl  was  inno 
cent  of  certain  proper  and  insurmountable  obsta 
cles  farther  on. 

The  air  was  fresh,  and  it  was  so  pleasant  on  the 
wharf  that  the  captain  paced  to  and  fro  several 
times,  while  he  pointed  out  different  objects  of  in 
terest  along  the  harbor-side,  and  tapped  the  rusty 
anchor  and  the  hawsers  with  his  walking-stick  as 
he  went  by.  He  had  made  some  very  pointed 
statements  to  the  keeper's  wife  about  the  propri 
ety  of  opening  the  hatches  on  such  a  morning  as 
that,  which  she  had  received  without  comment, 
and  wished  her  guests  good-day  with  provoking 
equanimity.  The  captain  did  not  like  to  have  his 
authority  ignored,  but  mentioned  placidly  that  he 
supposed  every  idler  along  shore  had  been  giving 
advice ;  though  he  wondered  what  Nan's  grand 
father  and  old  Captain  Peterbeck  would  have  said 
if  any  one  had  told  them  this  would  be  the  only 
square-rigged  vessel  in  Dunport  harbor  for  weeks 
at  a  time. 

"  Dear  me ! "  he  exclaimed  again  presently, 
"  there  's  young  Gerry  hard  at  work  !  "  and  he 
directed  his  companion's  attention  to  one  of  the 
upper  windows  of  the  buildings  whose  fronts  had 
two  stories  on  the  main  street,  while  there  were 
five  or  six  on  the  rear,  which  faced  the  river.  Nan 
could  see  the  diligent  young  man  and  thought  it 


BY  THE  RIVER.  257 

hard  that  any  one  must  be  drudging  within  doors 
that  beautiful  morning. 

"  He  has  always  been  a  great  favorite  of  your 
aunt's,"  said  Captain  Parish,  confidentially,  after 
the  law  student  had  pretended  to  suddenly  catch 
sight  of  the  saunterers,  and  waved  a  greeting  which 
the  captain  exultantly  returned.  "  We  have  al 
ways  thought  that  she  was  likely  to  make  him 
her  heir.  She  was  very  fond  of  his  father,  you 
see,  and  some  trouble  came  between  them.  No 
body  ever  knew,  because  if  anybody  ever  had  wit 
enough  to  keep  her  own  counsel  't  was  Nancy 
Prince.  I  know  as  much  about  her  affairs  as  any 
body,  and  what  I  say  to  you  is  between  ourselves. 
I  know  just  how  far  to  sail  with  her  and  when  to 
stop,  if  I  don't  want  to  get  wrecked  on  a  lee  shore. 
Your  aunt  has  known  how  to  take  care  of  what 
she  had  come  to  her,  and  I  've  done  the  best  I 
could  to  help  her ;  it 's  a  very  handsome  proper 
ty,  —  very  handsome  indeed.  She  helped  George 
Gerry  to  get  his  education,  and  then  he  had  some 
little  money  left  him  by  his  father's  brother,  —  no 
great  amount,  but  enough  to  give  him  a  start  ; 
he  's  a  very  smart,  upright  fellow,  and  I  am  glad 
for  whatever  Nancy  did  for  him  ;  but  it  did  n't 
seem  fair  that  he  should  be  stepping  into  your 
rights.  But  I  never  have  dared  to  speak  up  for  you 
since  one  day  —  she  would  n't  hear  a  word  about 
it,  that 's  all  I  have  to  remark,"  the  captain  con 
cluded  in  a  hurry,  for  wisdom's  sake,  though  he 
longed  to  say  more.  It  seemed  outrageous  to  him 

17 


258  A    COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

at  this  moment  that  the  girl  at  his  side  should 
have  been  left  among  strangers,  and  he  was  thank 
ful  that  she  seemed  at  last  to  have  a  good  chance 
of  making  sure  of  her  rightful  possessions. 

"  But  I  have  n't  needed  anything,"  she  said, 
giving  Captain  Walter  a  grateful  glance  for  his 
championship.  "  And  Mr.  Gerry  is  very  kind 
and  attentive  to  my  aunt,  so  I  am  glad  she  has 
been  generous  to  him.  He  seems  a  fine  fellow,  as 
you  say,"  and  Nan  thought  suddenly  that  it  was 
very  hard  for  him  to  have  had  her  appear  on  the 
scene  by  way  of  rival,  if  he  had  been  led  to  sup 
pose  that  he  was  her  aunt's  heir.  There  were  so 
many  new  things  to  think  of,  that  Nan  had  a  be 
wildering  sense  of  being  a  stranger  and  a  for 
eigner  in  this  curiously  self-centred  Dunport,  and 
a  most  disturbing  element  to  its  peace  of  mind. 
She  wondered  if,  since  she  had  not  grown  up 
here,  it  would  not  have  been  better  to  have  stayed 
away  altogether.  Her  own  life  had  always  been 
quite  unvexed  by  any  sort  of  social  complications, 
and  she  thought  how  good  it  would  be  to  leave 
this  talkative  and  staring  little  world  and  go  back 
to  Oldfields  and  its  familiar  interests  and  asso 
ciations.  But  Dunport  was  a  dear  old  place,  and 
the  warm-hearted  captain  a  most  entertaining 
guide,  and  by  the  time  their  walk  was  over,  the 
day  seemed  a  most  prosperous  and  entertaining 
one.  Aunt  Nancy  appeared  to  be  much  pleased 
with  the  plan  for  the  afternoon,  and  announced 
that  she  had  asked  some  of  the  young  people  to 


BY  THE  RIVER.  259 

come  to  drink  tea  the  next  evening,  while  she 
greeted  Nan  so  kindly  that  the  home-coming  was 
particularly  pleasant.  As  for  the  captain,  he 
was  unmistakably  happy,  and  went  off  down  the 
street  with  a  gentle,  rolling  gait,  and  a  smile  upon 
his  face  that  fairly  matched  the  June  weather, 
though  he  was  more  than  an  hour  late  for  the  lit 
tie  refreshment  with  which  he  and  certain  digni 
fied  associates  commonly  provided  themselves  at 
eleven  o'clock  in  the  forenoon.  Life  was  as  regu 
lar  ashore  as  on  board  ship  with  these  idle  mari 
ners  of  high  degree.  There  was  no  definite  busi 
ness  among  them  except  that  of  occasionally 
settling  an  estate,  and  the  forming  of  decided 
opinions  upon  important  questions  of  the  past  and 
future. 

The  shadows  had  begun  to  grow  long  when  the 
merry  company  of  young  people  went  up  river 
with  the  tide,  and  Nan  thought  she  had  seldom 
known  such  a  pleasure  away  from  her  own  home. 
She  begged  for  the  oars,  and  kept  stroke  with 
George  Gerry,  pulling  so  well  that  they  quickly 
passed  the  other  boat.  Mary  Parish  and  the 
friend  who  made  the  fourth  of  that  division  of  the 
party  sat  in  the  stern  and  steered  with  fine  dex 
terity,  and  the  two  boats  kept  near  each  other,  so 
that  Nan  soon  lost  all  feeling  of  strangeness,  and 
shared  in  the  good  comradeship  to  which  she  had 
been  willingly  admitted.  It  was  some  time  since 
she  had  been  on  the  water  before,  and  she  thought 


260  A    COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

more  than  once  of  her  paddling  about  the  river 
in  her  childhood,  and  even  regaled  the  company 
once  with  a  most  amusing  mishap,  at  the  remem 
brance  of  which  she  had  been  forced  to  laugh  out 
right.  The  river  was  broad  and  brimful  of  wa« 
ter ;  it  seemed  high  tide  already,  and  the  boats 
pulled  easily.  The  fields  sloped  down  to  the 
river -banks,  shaded  with  elms  and  parted  by 
hedgerows  like  a  bit  of  English  country.  The 
freshest  bloom  of  the  June  greenness  was  in  every 
blade  of  grass  and  every  leaf.  The  birds  were 
beginning  to  sing  the  long  day  to  a  close,  and  the 
lowing  of  cattle  echoed  from  the  pastures  again 
and  again  across  the  water  ;  while  the  country 
boats  were  going  home  from  the  town,  sometimes 
with  a  crew  of  women,  who  seemed  to  have  made 
this  their  regular  conveyance  instead  of  following 
the  more  roundabout  highways  ashore.  Some  of 
these  navigators  rowed  with  a  cross-handed  stroke 
that  jerked  their  boats  along  in  a  droll  fashion, 
and  some  were  propelled  by  one  groping  oar,  the 
sculler  standing  at  the  stern  as  if  he  were  trying 
to  push  his  craft  out  of  water  altogether  and  take 
to  the  air,  toward  which  the  lifted  bow  pointed. 
And  in  one  of  the  river  reaches  half  a  mile  ahead, 
two  heavy  packet  boats,  with  high-peaked  lateen 
sails,  like  a  great  bird's  single  wing,  were  making 
all  the  speed  they  could  toward  port  before  the 
tide  should  begin  to  fall  two  hours  later.  The 
young  guest  of  the  party  was  very  happy ;  she  had 
spent  so  many  of  her  childish  days  out  of  doors 


BY  THE  RIVER.  261 

that  a  return  to  such  pleasures  always  filled  her 
with  strange  delight.  The  color  was  bright  in  her 
cheeks,  and  her  half  -  forgotten  girlishness  came 
back  in  the  place  of  the  gravity  and  dignity  that 
had  brought  of  late  a  sedate  young  womanli 
ness  to  her  manner.  The  two  new  friends  in  the 
stern  of  the  boat  were  greatly  attracted  to  her, 
and  merry  laughter  rang  out  now  and  then.  Nan 
was  so  brave  and  handsome,  so  willing  to  be 
pleased,  and  so  grateful  to  them  for  this  little 
festivity,  that  they  quickly  became  interested  in 
each  other,  as  girls  will.  The  commander  thought 
himself  a  fortunate  fellow,  and  took  every  chance 
of  turning  his  head  to  catch  a  glimpse  of  our  hero 
ine,  though  he  always  had  a  good  excuse  of  taking 
his  bearings  or  inspecting  for  himself  some  object 
afloat  or  ashore  which  one  of  the  boat's  company 
had  pointed  out.  And  Nan  must  be  told  the 
names  of  the  distant  hills  which  stood  out  clear 
in  the  afternoon  light,  and  to  what  towns  up 
river  the  packet  boats  were  bound,  and  so  the 
time  seemed  short  before  the  light  dory  was  run 
in  among  the  coarse  river  grass  and  pulled  up 
higher  than  seemed  necessary  upon  the  shore. 

Their  companions  had  not  chosen  so  fleet  a  craft, 
and  were  five  instead  of  four  at  any  rate,  but  they 
were  welcomed  somewhat  derisively,  and  all  chat 
tered  together  in  a  little  crowd  for  a  few  min 
utes  before  they  started  for  a  bit  of  woodland 
which  overhung  the  river  on  a  high  point.  The 
wind  rustled  the  oak  leaves  and  roughened  the 


262  A    COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

surface  of  the  water,  which  spread  out  into  a  wide 
inland  bay.  The  clouds  began  to  gather  in  the 
west  and  to  take  on  wonderful  colors,  as  if  such  a 
day  must  be  ended  with  a  grand  ceremony,  and 
the  sun  go  down  through  banners  and  gay  parades 
of  all  the  forces  of  the  sky.  Nan  had  watched 
such  sunsets  from  her  favorite  playground  at  the 
farm,  and  somehow  the  memory  of  those  days 
touched  her  heart  more  tenderly  than  they  had 
ever  done  before,  and  she  wished  for  a  moment 
that  she  could  get  away  from  the  noisy  little  flock 
who  were  busy  getting  the  supper  ready,  though 
they  said  eagerly  what  a  beautiful  evening  it 
would  be  to  go  back  to  town,  and  that  they  must 
go  far  up  the  river  first  to  meet  the  moonlight. 

In  a  few  minutes  Nan  heard  some  one  say  that 
water  must  be  brought  from  a  farm-house  not 
far  away,  and  quickly  insisted  that  she  should 
make  one  of  the  messengers,  and  after  much  dis 
cussion  and  remonstrance,  she  and  young  Gerry 
found  themselves  crossing  the  open  field  together. 
The  girl  had  left  her  hat  swinging  from  one  of 
the  low  oak  branches ;  she  wondered  why  Mary 
Parish  had  looked  at  her  first  as  if  she  were 
very  fond  of  her,  and  then  almost  appealingly, 
until  the  remembrance  of  Captain  Walter's  bit 
of  gossip  came  to  mind  too  late  to  be  acted  upon. 
Nan  felt  a  sudden  sympathy,  and  was  sorry  she 
had  not  thought  to  share  with  this  favorite  among 
her  new  friends,  the  companion  whom  she  had 
joined  so  carelessly.  George  Gerry  had  some  very 


BY  THE  RIVER.  263 

attractive  ways.  He  did  not  trouble  Nan  with  un 
necessary  attentions,  as  some  young  men  had,  and 
she  told  herself  again,  how  much  she  liked  him. 
They  walked  fast,  with  free,  light  steps,  and 
talked  as  they  went  in  a  way  that  was  very  pleas 
ant  to  both  of  them.  Nan  was  wise  to  a  marvel, 
the  good  fellow  told  himself,  and  yet  such  an 
amusing  person.  He  did  not  know  when  he  had 
liked  anybody  so  much  ;  he  was  very  glad  _  to 
stand  well  in  the  sight  of  these  sweet,  clear  eyes, 
and  could  not  help  telling  their  owner  some  of 
the  things  that  lay  very  near  his  heart.  He  had 
wished  to  get  away  from  Dunport ;  he  had  not 
room  there  ;  everybody  knew  him  as  well  as  they 
knew  the  court-house;  he  somehow  wanted  to 
get  to  deeper  water,  and  out  of  his  depth,  and 
then  swim  for  it  with  the  rest.  And  Nan  listened 
with  deep  sympathy,  for  she  also  had  felt  that 
a  great  engine  of  strength  and  ambition  was  at 
work  with  her  in  her  plans  and  studies. 

She  waited  until  he  should  have  finished  his 
confidence,  to  say  a  word  from  her  own  experi 
ence,  but  just  then  they  reached  the  farm-house 
and  stood  together  at  the  low  door.  There  was 
a  meagre  show  of  flowers  in  the  little  garden, 
which  the  dripping  eaves  had  beaten  and  troubled 
in  the  late  rains,  and  one  rosebush  was  loosely 
caught  to  the  clapboards  here  and  there. 

There  did  not  seem  to  be  anybody  in  the 
kitchen,  into  which  they  could  look  through  the 
open  doorway,  though  they  could  hear  steps  and 


264  A   COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

voices  from  some  part  of  the  house  beyond  it; 
and  it  was  not  until  they  had  knocked  again 
loudly  that  a  woman  came  to  answer  them,  look 
ing  worried  and  pale. 

"  I  never  was  so  glad  to  see  folks,  though  I 
don't  know  who  you  be,"  she  said  hurriedly.  "  I 
believe  I  shall  have  to  ask  you  to  go  for  help. 
My  man  's  got  hurt ;  he  managed  to  get  home, 
but  he  's  broke  his  shoulder,  or  any  ways  't  is  out 
o'  place.  He  was  to  the  pasture,  and  we  've  got 
some  young  cattle,  and  somehow  or  'nother  one 
he  'd  caught  and  was  meaning  to  lead  home  give 
a  jump,  and  John  lost  his  balance ;  he  says  he 
can't  see  how  't  should  V  happened,  but  over  he 
went  and  got  jammed  against  a  rock  before  he 
could  let  go  o'  the  rope  he  'd  put  round  the  crit 
ter's  neck.  He 's  in  dreadful  pain  so  't  I  could  n't 
leave  him,  and  there  's  nobody  but  me  an'  the 
baby.  You  '11  have  to  go  to  the  next  house  and 
ask  them  to  send ;  Doctor  Bent 's  always  at 
tended  of  us." 

"  Let  me  see  him,"  said  Nan  with  decision. 
"  Wait  a  minute,  Mr.  Gerry,  or  perhaps  you  had 
better  come  in  too,"  and  she  led  the  way,  while 
the  surprised  young  man  and  the  mistress  of  the 
house  followed  her.  The  patient  was  a  strong 
young  fellow,  who  sat  on  the  edge  of  the  bed  in 
the  little  kitchen -bedroom,  pale  as  ashes,  and 
holding  one  elbow  with  a  look  of  complete  mis 
ery,  though  he  stopped  his  groans  as  the  strangers 
came  in. 


BY  THE  RIVER.  265 

"  Lord  bless  you,  young  man  !  don't  wait  here," 
he  said ;  "  tell  the  doctor  it  may  only  be  out  o' 
place,  but  I  feel  as  if  'twas  broke." 

But  Nan  had  taken  a  pair  of  scissors  from  the 
high  mantelpiece  and  was  making  a  cut  in  the 
coarse,  white  shirt,  which  was  already  torn  and 
stained  by  its  contact  with  the  ground,  and  with 
quick  fingers  and  a  look  of  deep  interest  made 
herself  sure  what  had  happened,  when  she  stood 
still  for  a  minute  and  seemed  a  little  anxious,  and 
all  at  once  entirely  determined.  "  Just  lie  down 
on  the  floor  a  minute,"  she  said,  and  the  patient 
with  some  exclamations,  but  no  objections,  obeyed. 

Nan  pushed  the  spectators  into  the  doorway  . 
of  the  kitchen,  and  quickly  stooped  and  unbut 
toned  her  right  boot,  and  then  planted  her  foot 
on  the  damaged  shoulder  and  caught  up  the 
hand  and  gave  a  quick  pull,  the  secret  of  which 
nobody  understood ;  but  there  was  an  unpleas 
ant  cluck  as  the  bone  went  back  into  its  socket, 
and  a  yell  from  the  sufferer,  who  scrambled  to 
his  feet. 

"I'll  be  hanged  if  she  ain't  set  it,"  he  said, 
looking  quite  weak  and  very  much  astonished. 
"  You  're  the  smartest  young  woman  I  ever  see. 
I  shall  have  to  lay  down  just  to  pull  my  wits  to 
gether.  Marthy,  a  drink  of  water,"  and  by  the 
time  this  was  brought  the  excitement  seemed  to 
be  at  an  end,  though  the  patient  was  a  little  faint, 
and  his  wife  looked  at  Nan  admiringly.  Nan 
herself  was  fastening  her  boot  again  with  un- 


266  A   COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

wonted  composure.  George  Gerry  had  not  a 
word  to  say,  and  listened  to  a  simple  direction  of 
Nan's  as  if  it  were  meant  for  him,  and  acceded  to 
her  remark  that  she  was  glad  for  the  shoulder's 
sake  that  it  did  not  have  to  wait  and  grow  worse 
and  worse  all  the  while  the  doctor  was  being 
brought  from  town.  And  after  a  few  minutes, 
when  the  volley  of  thanks  and  compliments  could 
be  politely  cut  short,  the  two  members  of  the 
picnic  party  set  forth  with  their  pail  of  water  to 
join  their  companions. 

44  Will  you  be  so  good  as  to  tell  me  how  you 
knew  enough  to  do  that?"  asked  Mr.  Gerry 
humbly,  and  looking  at  his  companion  with  ad 
miration.  "  I  should  not  have  had  the  least  idea." 

"I  was  very  glad  it  turned  out  so  well,"  said 
Nan  simply.  "  It  was.  a  great  pleasure  to  be  of 
use,  they  were  so  frightened,  poor  things.  We 
won't  say  anything  about  it,  will  we?" 

But  the  young  man  did  not  like  to  think  yet 
of  the  noise  the  returning  bone  had  made.  He 
was  stout-hearted  enough  usually ;  as  brave  a  fel 
low  as  one  could  wish  to  see ;  but  he  felt  weak  and 
womanish,  and  somehow  wished  it  had  been  he 
who  could  play  the  doctor.  Nan  hurried  back 
bareheaded  to  the  oak  grove  as  if  nothing  had 
happened,  though,  if  possible,  she  looked  gayer 
and  brighter  than  ever.  And  when  the  waiting 
party  scolded  a  little  at  their  slow  pace,  Miss 
Prince  was  much  amused  and  made  two  or  three 
laughing  apologies  for  their  laziness,  and  even 


BY  THE  RIVER.  267 

ventured  to  give  the  information  that  they  had 
made  a  pleasant  call  at  the  farm-house. 

The  clouds  were  fading  fast  and  the  twilight 
began  to  gather  under  the  trees  before  they  were 
ready  to  go  away,  and  then  the  high  tide  had 
floated  off  one  of  the  boats,  which  must  be  chased 
and  brought  back.  But  presently  the  picnickers 
embarked,  and,  as  the  moon  came  up,  and  the 
river  ebbed,  the  boats  went  back  to  the  town  and 
overtook  others  on  the  way,  and  then  were  pulled 
up  stream  again  in  the  favoring  eddy  to  make  the 
evening's  pleasure  longer  ;  at  last  Nan  was  left 
at  her  door.  She  had  managed  that  George 
Gerry  should  give  Mary  Parish  his  arm,  and  told 
them,  as  they  came  up  the  street  with  her  from 
the  wharf,  that  she  had  heard  their  voices  Satur 
day  night  as  they  passed  under  her  window :  it 
was  Mary  Parish  herself  who  had  talked  about 
the  best  room  and  its  ghosts. 


XVIII. 

A  SEKIOUS   TEA-DRINKING. 

IT  was  very  good  for  Nan  to  find  herself  cor- 
dially  welcomed  to  a  company  of  young  people 
who  had  little  thought  of  anything  but  amuse 
ment  in  the  pleasant  summer  weather.  Other 
young  guests  came  to  Dunport  just  then,  and  the 
hospitable  town  seemed  to  give  itself  up  to  their 
entertainment.  Picnics  and  tea  -  drinkings  fol 
lowed  each  other,  and  the  pleasure  boats  went  up 
river  and  down  river,  while  there  were  walks  and 
rides  and  drives,  and  all  manner  of  contrivances 
and  excuses  for  spending  much  time  together  on 
the  part  of  the  young  men  and  maidens.  It  was 
a  good  while  since  Nan  had  taken  such  a  long 
holiday,  though  she  had  by  no  means  been  with 
out  the  pleasures  of  society.  Not  only  had  she 
made  friends  easily  during  her  school-life  and  her 
later  studies,  but  Oldfields  itself,  like  all  such  good 
old  nests,  was  apt  to  call  back  its  wandering  fledg 
lings  when  the  Jtine  weather  came.  It  delighted 
her  more  and  more  to  be  in  Dunport,  and  though 
she  sometimes  grew  impatient,  wise  Dr.  Leslie 
insisted  that  she  must  not  hurry  home.  The 
change  was  the  very  best  thing  in  the  world  for 


A   SERIOUS   TEA-DRINKING.  2G9 

her.  Dr.  Ferris  had  alighted  for  a  day  or  two  in 
the  course  of  one  of  his  wandering  flights ;  and  it 
seemed  to  the  girl  that  since  everything  was  get 
ting  on  so  well  without  her  in  Oldfields,  she  had 
better,  as  the  doctor  had  already  expressed  it,  let 
her  visit  run  its  course  like  a  fever.  At  any  rate 
she  could  not  come  again  very  soon,  and  since  her 
aunt  seemed  so  happy,  it  was  a  pity  to  hurry  away 
and  end  these  days  sooner  than  need  be.  It  had 
been  a  charming  surprise  to  find  herself  such  a 
desired  companion,  and  again  and  again  quite  the 
queen  of  that  little  court  of  frolickers,  because 
lately  she  had  felt  like  one  who  looks  on  at  such 
things,  and  cannot  make  part  of  them.  Yet  all 
the  time  that  she  was  playing  she  thought  of  her 
work  with  growing  satisfaction.  By  other  peo* 
pie  the  knowledge  of  her  having  studied  medicine 
was  not  very  well  received.  It  was  considered  to 
have  been  the  fault  of  Miss  Prince,  who  should 
not  have  allowed  a  whimsical  country  doctor  to 
have  beguiled  the  girl  into  such  silly  notions,  and 
many  were  the  shafts  sped  toward  so  unwise  an 
aunt  for  holding  out  against  her  niece  so  many 
years.  To  be  sure  the  child  had  been  placed  un 
der  a  most  restricted  guardianship  ;  but  years  ago, 
it  was  thought,  the  matter  might  have  been  re 
arranged,  and  Nan  brought  to  Dunport.  It  cer 
tainly  had  been  much  better  for  her  that  she  had 
grown  up  elsewhere  ;  though,  for  whatever  was 
amiss  and  willful  in  her  ways,  Oldfields  was  held 
accountable.  It  must  be  confessed  that  every 


270  A    COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

one  who  bad  known  her  well  had  discovered  sooner 
or  later  the  untamed  wildnesses  which  seemed  like 
the  tangles  which  one  often  sees  in  field-corners, 
though  a  most  orderly  crop  is  taking  up  the  best 
part  of  the  room  between  the  fences.  Yet  she 
was  hard  to  find  fault  with,  except  by  very  short 
sighted  persons  who  resented  the  least  departure 
by  others  from  the  code  they  themselves  had  been 
pleased  to  authorize,  and  who  could  not  under 
stand  that  a  nature  like  Nan's  must  and  could 
make  and  keep  certain  laws  of  its  own. 

There  seemed  to  be  a  sort  of  inevitableness 
about  the  visit ;  Nan  herself  hardly  knew  why 
she  was  drifting  on  day  after  day  without  reason 
able  excuse.  Her  time  had  been  most  carefully 
ordered  and  spent  during  the  last  few  years,  and 
now  she  sometimes  had  an  uneasy  feeling  and  a 
lack  of  confidence  in  her  own  steadfastness.  But 
everybody  took  it  for  granted  that  the  visit  must 
not  come  to  an  end.  The  doctor  showed  no  sign 
of  expecting  her.  Miss  Prince  would  be  sure  to 
resent  her  going  away,  and  the  pleasure-makers 
marked  one  day  after  another  for  their  own.  It 
seemed  impossible,  and  perhaps  unwise,  to  go  on 
with  the  reading  she  had  planned,  and,  in  fact, 
she  had  been  urged  to  attend  to  her  books  rather 
by  habit  than  natural  inclination ;  and  when  the 
temptation  to  drift  with  the  stream  first  made 
itself  felt,  the  reasons  for  opposing  it  seemed  to 
fade  away.  It  was  easier  to  remember  that  Dr. 
Leslie,  and  even  those  teachers  who  knew  her 


A   SERIOUS   TEA-DRINKING.  271 

best  at  the  medical  school,  had  advised  a  long  va 
cation. 

The  first  formal  visits  and  entertainments  were 
over  with  for  the  most  part,  and  many  of  the 
Dunport  acquaintances  began  to  seem  like  old 
friends.  There  had  been  a  little  joking  about 
Nan's  profession,  and  also  some  serious  remon 
strance  and  unwise  championship  which  did  not 
reach  this  heroine's  ears.  It  all  seemed  romantic 
and  most  unusual  when  anybody  talked  about 
her  story  at  all,  and  the  conclusion  was  soon 
reached  that  all  such  whims  and  extravagances 
were  merely  incident  to  the  pre-Dunportian  exis 
tence,  and  that  now  the  young  guest  had  come  to 
her  own,  the  responsibilities  and  larger  field  of 
activity  would  have  their  influence  over  her  plan 
of  life,  The  girl  herself  was  disposed  to  talk  very 
little  about  this  singular  fancy ;  it  may  have 
been  thought  that  she  had  grown  ashamed  of  it 
as  seen  by  a  brighter  light,  but  the  truth  was  it 
kept  a  place  too  near  her  heart  to  allow  her  to 
gossip  with  people  who  had  no  real  sympathy, 
and  who  would  ask  questions  from  curiosity 
alone.  Miss  Eunice  Fraley  had  taken  more  than 
one  opportunity,  however,  to  confess  her  inter 
est,  though  she  did  this  with  the  manner  of  one 
who  dares  to  be  a  conspirator  against  public  opin 
ion,  and  possibly  the  permanent  welfare  of  soci 
ety,  and  had  avowed,  beside,  her  own  horror  of  a 
doctor's  simplest  duties.  But  poor  Miss  Fraley 
looked  at  her  young  friend  as  a  caged  bird  at  a 


272  A   COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

window  might  watch  a  lark's  flight,  and  was 
strangely  glad  whenever  there  was  a  chance  to 
spend  an  hour  in  Nan's  company. 

The  first  evening  at  Mrs.  Fraley's  had  been  a 
great  success,  and  Miss  Prince  had  been  vastly 
pleased  because  both  the  hostess  and  the  guest 
had  received  each  other's  commendation.  Mrs. 
Fraley  was,  perhaps,  the  one  person  whom  Miss 
Prince  recognized  as  a  superior  officer,  and  she 
observed  Nan's  unconscious  and  suitable  good  be 
havior  with  great  pride.  The  hostess  had  for 
merly  been  an  undisputed  ruler  of  the  highest 
social  circles  of  Dunport  society,  and  now  in  her 
old  age,  when  she  could  no  longer  be  present  at 
any  public  occasions,  she  was  still  the  queen  of  a 
little  court  that  assembled  in  her  own  house.  It 
was  true  that  the  list  of  her  subjects  grew  shorter 
year  by  year,  but  the  survivors  remained  loyal, 
and  hardly  expected,  or  even  desired,  that  any 
of  the  new-comers  to  the  town  should  recognize 
their  ruler.  Nan  had  been  much  interested  in 
the  old  lady's  stories,  and  had  gladly  accepted  an 
invitation  to  come  often  to  renew  the  first  con 
versation.  She  was  able  to  give  Mrs.  Fraley 
much  welcome  information  of  the  ways  and  fash 
ions  of  other  centres  of  civilization,  and  it  was  a 
good  thing  to  make  the  hours  seem  shorter.  The 
poor  old  lady  had  few  alleviations ;  even  religion 
had  served  her  rather  as  a  basis  for  argument 
than  an  accepted  reliance  and  guide ;  and  though 
she  still  prided  herself  on  her  selection  of  words, 


A   SERIOUS  TEA-DRINKING.  273 

those  which  she  used  in  formal  conversations  with 
the  clergyman  seemed  more  empty  and  meaning 
less  than  most  others.  Mrs.  Fraley  was  leaving 
this  world  reluctantly  ;  she  had  been  well  fitted 
by  nature  for  social  preeminence,  and  had  never 
been  half  satisfied  with  the  opportunities  provided 
for  the  exercise  of  her  powers.  It  was  only  lately 
that  she  had  been  forced  to  acknowledge  that  Time 
showed  signs  of  defeating  her  in  the  projects  of  her 
life,  and  she  had  begun  to  give  up  the  fight  alto 
gether,  and  to  mourn  bitterly  and  aggressively  to 
her  anxious  and  resourceless  daughter.  It  was 
plain  enough  that  the  dissatisfactions  and  infirmi 
ties  of  age  were  more  than  usually  great,  and 
poor  Eunice  was  only  too  glad  when  the  younger 
Miss  Prince  proved  herself  capable  of  interesting 
the  old  friend  of  her  family,  and  Mrs.  Fraley 
took  heart  and  suggested  both  informal  visits  and 
future  entertainments.  The  prudent  daughter 
was  careful  not  to  tell  her  mother  of  the  guest's 
revolutionary  ideas,  and  for  a  time  all  went  well, 
until  some  unwise  person,  unaware  of  Miss  Fra- 
ley's  warning  gestures  from  the  other  side  of  the 
sitting-room,  proceeded  to  give  a  totally  unneces 
sary  opinion  of  the  propriety  of  women's  study 
ing  medicine.  Poor  Eunice  expected  that  a  sharp 
rebuke,  followed  by  a  day  or  two's  disdain  and 
general  unpleasantness,  would  descend  upon  her 
quaking  shoulders  ;  but,  to  her  surprise,  nothing 
was  said  until  the  next  morning,  when  she  was 
bidden,  at  much  inconvenience  to  the  household, 

18 


274  A    COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

to  invite  Miss  Prince  and  her  niece  to  come  that 
afternoon  to  drink  tea  quite  informally. 

There  was  a  pathetic  look  in  the  messenger's 
faded  face,  —  she  felt  unusually  at  odds  with  for 
tune  as  she  glided  along  the  street,  sheltered  by 
the  narrow  shadows  of  the  high  fences.  Nan  her 
self  came  to  the  door,  and  when  she  threw  back 
the  closed  blinds  and  discovered  the  visitor,  she 
drew  her  in  with  most  cordial  welcome,  and  the 
two  friends  entered  the  darkened  south  parlor, 
where  it  was  cool,  and  sweet  with  the  fragrance 
of  some  honeysuckle  which  Nan  had  brought  in 
early  that  morning  from  the  garden. 

"  Dear  me,"  said  the  little  woman  deprecat- 
ingly.  "I  don't  know  why  I  came  in  at  all.  T 
can't  stop  to  make  a  call.  Mother  was  very  de 
sirous  that  you  and  your  aunt  should  come  over 
to  tea  this  evening.  It  seems  a  good  deal  to  a  sic 
in  such  hot  weather,  but  she  has  so  little  to  amuse 
her,  and  I  really  don't  see  that  the  weather  makes 
much  difference,  she  used  to  feel  the  heat  very 
much  years  ago."  And  Miss  Eunice  gave  a  sigh, 
and  fanned  herself  slowly,  letting  the  fan  which 
had  been  put  into  her  hand  turn  itself  quite  over 
on  her  lap  before  it  came  up  again.  There  was 
an  air  of  antique  elegance  about  this  which 
amused  Nan,  who  stood  by  the  table  wiping  with 
her  handkerchief  some  water  that  had  dropped 
from  the  vase.  A  great  many  of  the  ladies  in 
church  the  Sunday  before  had  fanned  themselves 
in  this  same  little  languishing  way ;  she  reraem- 


A  SERIOUS  TEA-DRINKING  275 

bered  one  or  two  funny  old  persons  in  Oldfields 
who  gave  themselves  airs  after  the  same  fashion. 

44 1  think  we  shall  both  be  very  pleased,"  she 
answered  directly,  with  a  bit  of  a  smile  ;  while 
Miss  Fraley  gazed  at  her  admiringly,  and  thought 
she  had  never  seen  the  girl  look  so  fresh  and  fair 
as  she  did  in  this  plain,  cool  little  dress.  There 
had  been  more  water  than  was  at  first  suspected  ; 
the  handkerchief  was  a  limp,  white  handful,  and 
they  both  laughed  as  it  was  held  up.  Miss  Fra 
ley  insisted  that  she  could  not  stay.  She  must 
go  to  the  shops  to  do  some  errands,  and  hoped 
to  meet  Miss  Prince  who  .had  gone  that  way  half 
an  hour  before. 

44  Don't  mind  anything  mother  may  say  to 
you,"  she  entreated,  after  lingering  a  minute,  and 
looking  imploringly  in  Kan's  face.  u  You  know 
we  can't  expect  a  person  of  her  age  to  look  at 
everything  just  as  we  do." 

"  Am  I  to  be  scolded  ?  "  asked  Nan,  serenely. 
"  Do  you  know  what  it  is  about  ?  " 

"  Oh,  perhaps  nothing,"  answered  Miss  Fraley, 
quickly.  "  I  ought  not  to  have  spoken,  only  I 
fancied  she  was  a  little  distressed  at  the  idea  of 
your  being  interested  in  medicines.  I  don't  know 
anything  that  is  more  useful  myself.  I  am  sure 
every  family  needs  to  have  some  one  who  has 
some  knowledge  of  such  things  ;  it  saves  calling  a 
doctor.  My  sister  Susan  knows  more  than  any 
of  us,  and  it  has  been  very  useful  to  her  with  bef 
large  family." 


276  A   COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

"  But  I  should  n't  be  afraid  to  come,  I  think," 
said  Nan,  laughing.  "  Mrs.  Fraley  told  me  that 
she  would  finish  that  story  of  the  diamond  ring, 
you  know,  and  we  shall  get  on  capitally.  Really 
I  think  her  stories  of  old  times  are  wonderfully 
interesting.  I  wish  I  had  a  gift  for  writing  them 
down  whenever  I  am  listening  to  her." 

Miss  Eunice  was  much  relieved,  and  felt  sure 
that  Nan  was  equal  to  any  emergency.  The  girl 
had  put  a  strong  young  arm  quickly  round  her 
guest's  thin  shoulders,  and  had  kissed  her  affec 
tionately,  and  this  had  touched  the  lonely  little 
woman's  very  heart. 

There  were  signs  of  storm  in  Madam  PYaley's 
face  that  evening,  but  everybody  feigned  not  to 
observe  them,  and  Nan  behaved  with  perilous  dis 
regard  of  a  lack  of  encouragement,  and  made  her 
self  and  the  company  uncommonly  merry.  She 
described  the  bad  effect  her  coming  had  had  upon 
her  aunt's  orderly  house.  She  confessed  to  hav 
ing  left  her  own  possessions  in  such  confusion  the 
evening  before  when  she  dressed  again  to  go  up 
the  river,  that  Priscilla  had  called  it  a  monkey's 
wedding,  and  had  gone  away  after  one  scornful 
look  inside  the  door.  Miss  Fraley  dared  to 
say  that  no  one  could  mind  seeing  such  pretty 
things,  and  even  Miss  Prince  mentioned  that  hei- 
niece  was  not  so  careless  as  she  would  make  them 
believe  ;  while  Nan  begged  to  know  if  anybody 
had  ever  heard  of  a  monkey's  wedding  before,  and 
seemed  very  much  amused. 


A   SERIOUS   TEA-DRINKING.  277 

"  She  called  such  a  disarray  in  the  kitchen  one 
morning  the  monkey's  wedding  breakfast,"  said 
Miss  Prince,  as  if  she  never  had  thought  it  par 
ticularly  amusing  until  this  minute.  "  Priscilla 
has  always  made  use  of  a  great  many  old-fashioned 
expressions." 

They  had  seated  themselves  at  the  tea-table ;  it 
was  evident  that  Miss  Fraley  had  found  it  a  hard 
clay,  for  she  looked  tired  and  worn.  The  mistress 
of  the  house  was  dressed  in  her  best  and  most  im 
posing  clothes,  and  sat  solemnly  in  her  place.  A 
careful  observer  might  have  seen  that  the  best  blue 
teacups  with  their  scalloped  edges  were  not  set 
forth.  The  occasion  wore  the  air  of  a  tribunal 
rather  than  that  of  a  festival,  and  it  was  impossible 
not  to  feel  a  difference  between  it  and  the  former 
tea-party. 

Miss  Prince  was  not  particularly  sensitive  to 
moods  and  atmospheres ;  she  happened  to  be  in 
very  good  spirits,  and  talked  for  some  time  before 
she  became  entirely  aware  that  something  had 
gone  wrong,  but  presently  faltered,  and  fell  under 
the  ban,  looking  questioningly  toward  poor  Eu 
nice,  who  busied  herself  with  the  tea-tray. 

"  Nancy,"  said  Mrs.  Fraley  impatiently,  "  I  was 
amazed  to  find  that  there  is  a  story  going  about 
town  that  your  niece  here  is  studying  to  be  a  doc 
tor.  I  hope  that  you  don't  countenance  any  such 
nonsense  ?  " 

Miss  Prince  looked  helpless  and  confounded, 
and  turned  her  eyes  toward  her  niece.  She  could 


278  A   COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

only  hope  at  such  a  mortifying  juncture  that  Nan 
was  ready  to  explain,  or  at  least  to  shoulder  the 
responsibility. 

"  Indeed  she  does  n't  give  me  any  encourage 
ment,  Mrs.  Fraley,"  said  Nan,  fearlessly.  "  Only 
this  morning  she  saw  a  work  on  ventilation  in  my 
room  and  told  me  it  was  n't  proper  reading  for  a 
young  woman." 

" 1  really  did  n't  look  at  the  title,"  said  Miss 
Prince,  smiling  in  spite  of  herself. 

"  It  does  n't  seem  to  improve  the  health  of  you 
young  folks  because  you  think  it  necessary  to  be 
come  familiar  with  such  subjects,"  announced  the 
irate  old  lady.  It  was  her  habit  to  take  a  very  slight 
refreshment  at  the  usual  tea  hour,  and  supplement 
it  by  a  substantial  lunch  at  bed-time,  and  so  now 
she  was  not  only  at  leisure  herself,  but  demanded 
the  attention  of  her  guests.  She  had  evidently 
prepared  an  opinion,  and  was  determined  to  give 
it.  Miss  Eunice  grew  smaller  and  thinner  than 
ever,  and  fairly  shivered  with  shame  behind  the 
tea-tray.  She  looked  steadily  at  the  big  sugar-bowl, 
as  if  she  were  thinking  whether  she  might  creep 
into  it  and  pull  something  over  her  head.  She 
never  liked  an  argument,  even  if  it  were  a  good- 
natured  one,  and  always  had  a  vague  sense  of  per 
sonal  guilt  and  danger. 

"  In  my  time,"  Mrs.  Fraley  continued,  "  it  was 
thought  proper  for  young  women  to  show  an  in 
terest  in  household  affairs.  When  I  was  married 
it  was  not  asked  whether  I  was  acquainted  with 
dissecting-rooms." 


A  SERIOUS  TEA-DRINKING.  279 

"  But  I  don't  think  there  is  any  need  of  that," 
replied  Nan.  "  I  think  such  things  are  the  duty 
of  professional  men  and  women  only.  I  am  very 
far  from  believing  that  every  girl  ought  to  be  a 
surgeon  any  more  than  that  she  ought  to  be  an 
astronomer.  And  as  for  the  younger  people's 
being  less  strong  than  the  old,  I  am  afraid  it  is 
their  own  fault,  since  we  understand  the  laws  of  . 
health  better  than  we  used.  '  Who  breaks,  pays,' 
you  know." 

It  was  evidently  not  expected  that  the  young 
guest  should  venture  to  discuss  the  question,  but 
rather  have  accepted  her  rebuke  meekly,  and  ac 
knowledged  herself  in  the  wrong.  But  she  had  the 
courage  of  her  opinions,  and  the  eagerness  of  youth, 
and  could  hardly  bear  to  be  so  easily  defeated. 
So  when  Mrs.  Fraley,  mistaking  the  moment's 
silence  for  a  final  triumph,  said  again,  that  a 
woman's  place  was  at  home,  and  that  a  strong- 
minded  woman  was  out  of  place,  and  unwelcome 
everywhere,  the  girl's  cheeks  flushed  suddenly. 

"  I  think  it  is  a  pity  that  we  have  fallen  into  a 
habit  of  using  strong-mindedness  as  a  term  of 
rebuke,"  she  said.  "  I  am  willing  to  acknowledge 
that  people  who  are  eager  for  reforms  are  apt  to 
develop  unpleasant  traits,  but  it  is  only  because 
they  have  to  fight  against  opposition  and  igno 
rance.  When  they  are  dead  and  the  world  is  reap 
ing  the  reward  of  their  bravery  and  constancy,  it 
no  longer  laughs,  but  makes  statues  of  them,  and 
praises  them,  and  thanks  them  in  every  way  it  can. 


280  A    COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

I  think  we  ought  to  judge  each  other  by  the  high 
est  standards,  Mrs.  Fraley,  and  by  whether  we 
are  doing  good  work." 

"  My  day  is  past,"  said  the  hostess.  "  I  do  not 
belong  to  the  present,  and  I  suppose  ray  judg 
ment  is  worth  nothing  to  you;"  and  Nan  looked 
up  quickly  and  affectionately. 

"  I  should  like  to  have  all  my  friends  believe 
that  I  am  doing  right,"  she  said.  "  I  do  feel  very 
certain  that  we  must  educate  people  properly  if 
we  want  them  to  be  worth  anything.  It  is  no  use 
to  treat  all  the  boys  and  girls  as  if  nature  had 
meant  them  for  the  same  business  and  scholarship, 
and  try  to  put  them  through  the  same  drill,  for 
that  is  sure  to  mislead  and  confuse  all  those  who 
are  not  perfectly  sure  of  what  they  want.  There 
are  plenty  of  people  dragging  themselves  misera 
bly  through  the  world,  because  they  are  clogged 
and  fettered  with  work  for  which  they  have  no 
fitness.  I  know  I  have  n't  had  the  experience 
that  you  have,  Mrs.  Fraley,  but  I  can't  help  be 
lieving  that  nothing  is  better  than  to  find  one's 
work  early  and  hold  fast  to  it,  and  put  all  one's 
heart  into  it." 

"  I  have  done  my  best  to  serve  God  in  the  sta 
tion  to  which  it  has  pleased  Him  to  call  me,"  said 
Mrs.  Fraley,  stiffly.  "  I  believe  that  a  young 
man's  position  is  very  different  from  a  girl's.  To 
be  sure,  I  can  give  my  opinion  that  everything 
went  better  when  the  master  workmen  took  ap 
prentices  to  their  trades,  and  there  .was  n't  so 


A   SERIOUS  TEA-DRINKING.  281 

much  schooling.  But  I  warn  you,  my  dear,  that 
your  notion  about  studying  to  be  a  doctor  has 
shocked  me  very  much  indeed.  I  could  not 
believe  my  ears,  —  a  refined  girl  who  bears  an 
honorable  and  respected  name  to  think  of  being 
a  woman  doctor !  If  you  were  five  years  older 
you  would  never  have  dreamed  of  such  a  thing. 
It  lowers  the  pride  of  all  who  have  any  affection  ; 
for  you.  If  it  were  not  that  your  early  life  had 
been  somewhat  peculiar  and  most  "unfortunate,  I 
should  blame  you  more ;  as  it  is,  I  can  but  won 
der  at  the  lack  of  judgment  in  others.  I  shall 
look  forward  in  spite  of  it  all  to  seeing  you  hap 
pily  married."  To  which  Miss  Prince  assented 
with  several  decided  nods. 

"  This  is  why  I  made  up  my  mind  to  be  a  phy 
sician,"  said  the  culprit ;  and  though  she  had  been 
looking  down  and  growing  more  uncomfortable 
every  moment,  she  suddenly  gave  her  head  a  quick 
upward  movement  and  looked  at  Mrs.  Fraley 
frankly,  with  a  beautiful  light  in  her  clear  eyes. 
"  I  believe  that  God  has  given  me  a  fitness  for  it, 
and  that  I  never  could  do  anything  else  half  so 
well.  Nobody  persuaded  me  into  following  such 
a  plan  ;  I  simply  grew  toward  it.  And  I  have 
everything  to  learn,  and  a  great  many  faults  to 
overcome,  but  I  am  trying  to  get  on  as  fast  as 
may  be.  I  can't  be  too  glad  that  I  have  spent 
my  childhood  in  a  way  that  has  helped  me  to 
use  my  gift  instead  of  hindering  it.  But  every 
thing  helps  a  young  man  to  follow  his  bent ;  he 


282  A    COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

has  an  honored  place  in  society,  and  just  because 
he  is  a  student  of  one  of  the  learned  professions, 
he  ranks  above  the  men  who  follow  other  pursuits. 
I  don't  see  why  it  should  be  a  shame  and  dishonor 
to  a  girl  who  is  trying  to  do  the  same  thing  and 
to  be  of  equal  use  in  the  world.  God  would  not 
give  us  the  same  talents  if  what  were  right  for 
men  were  wrong  for  women." 

"  My  dear,  it  is  quite  unnatural  you  see,"  said 
the  antagonist,  impatiently.  "  Here  you  are  less 
than  twenty -five  years  old,  and  I  shall  hear  of 
your  being  married  next  thing,  —  at  least  I  hope 
I  shall,  —  and  you  will  laugh  at  all  this  nonsense. 
A  woman's  place  is  at  home.  Of  course  I  know 
that  there  have  been  some  women  physicians  who 
have  attained  eminence,  and  some  artists,  and  all 
that.  But  I  would  rather  see  a  daughter  of  mine 
take  a  more  retired  place.  The  best  service  to 
the  public  can  be  done  by  keeping  one's  own 
house  in  order  and  one's  husband  comfortable,  and 
by  attending  to  those  social  responsibilities  which 
come  in  our  way.  The  mothers  of  the  nation 
have  rights  enough  and  duties  enough  already, 
and  need  not  look  farther  than  their  own  firesides, 
or  wish  for  the  plaudits  of  an  ignorant  public." 

"  But  if  I  do  not  wish  to  be  married,  and  do 
not  think  it  right  that  I  should  be,"  said  poor 
Nan  at  last.  "  If  I  have  good  reasons  against  all 
that,  would  you  have  me  bury  the  talent  God  has 
given  me,  and  choke  down  the  wish  that  makes 
itself  a  prayer  every  morning  that  I  may  do  this 


A  SEIUOUS  TEA-DRINKING.  283 

work  lovingly  and  well  ?  It  is  the  best  way  I 
can  see  of  making  myself  useful  in  the  world. 
People  must  have  good  health  or  they  will  fail  of 
reaching  what  success  and  happiness  are  possible 
for  them ;  and  so  many  persons  might  be  better 
and  stronger  than  they  are  now,  which  would 
make  their  lives  very  different.  I  do  think  if  I 
can  help  my  neighbors  in  this  way  it  will  be  a 
great  kindness.  I  won't  attempt  to  say  that  the 
study  of  medicine  is  a  proper  vocation  for  women, 
only  that  I  believe  more  and  more  every  year  that 
it  is  the  proper  study  for  me.  It  certainly  cannot 
be  the  proper  vocation  of  all  women  to  bring  up 
children,  so  many  of  them  are  dead  failures  at  it ; 
and  I  don't  see  why  all  girls  should  be  thought 
failures  who  do  not  marry.  I  don't  believe  that 
half  those  who  do  marry  have  any  real  right  to  it, 
at  least  until  people  use  common  sense  as  much  in 
that  most  important  decision  as  in  lesser  ones.  Of 
course  we  can't  expect  to  bring  about  an  ideal 
state  of  society  all  at  once ;  but  just  because  we 
don't  really  believe  in  having  the  best  possible 
conditions,  we  make  no  effort  at  all  toward  even 
better  ones.  People  ought  to  work  with  the  great 
laws  of  nature  and  not  against  them." 

"  You  don't  know  anything  about  it,"  said  Mrs. 
Fraley,  who  hardly  knew  what  to  think  of  this 
ready  opposition.  "  You  don't  know  what  you 
are  talking  about,  Anna.  You  have  neither  age 
nor  experience,  and  it  is  easy  to  see  you  have 
been  associating  with  very  foolish  people.  I  am 


284  A   COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

the  last  person  to  say  that  every  marriage  is  a 
lucky  one  ;  but  if  you  were  my  daughter  I  should 
never  consent  to  your  injuring  your  chances  for 
happiness  in  this  way." 

Nan  could  not  help  stealing  a  glance  at  poor 
Miss  Eunice,  behind  her  fragile  battlement  of  the 
tea-set,  and  was  deeply  touched  at  the  glance  of 
sympathy  which  dimly  flickered  in  the  lonely  eyes. 
"  I  do  think,  mother,  that  Anna  is  right  about 
single  women's  having  some  occupation,"  was  tim 
idly  suggested.  "  Of  course,  I  mean  those  who 
have  no  special  home  duties ;  I  can  see  that  life 
would  not " — 

"  Now  Eunice,"  interrupted  the  commander  in 
chief,  "  I  do  wish  you  could  keep  an  opinion  of 
your  own.  You  are  the  last  person  to  take  up 
with  such  ideas.  I  have  no  patience  with  people 
who  don't  know  their  own  minds  half  an  hour  to 
gether." 

"  There  are  plenty  of  foolish  women  who  marry, 
I  '11  acknowledge,"  said  Miss  Prince,  for  the  sake 
of  coming  to  the  rescue.  "  I  was  really  angry 
yesterday,  when  Mrs.  Gerry  told  me  that  every 
body  was  so  pleased  to  hear  that  Hattie  Barlow 
was  engaged,  because  she  was  incapable  of  doing 
anything  to  support  herself.  I  could  n't  help 
feeling  that  if  there  was  so  little  power  that  it 
had  never  visibly  turned  itself  in  any  practical 
direction,  she  wasn't  likely  to  be  a  good  house 
keeper.  I  think  that  is  a  most  responsible  situa 
tion,  myself."1 


A  SERIOUS  TEA-DRINKING.  285 

Nan  looked  up  gratefully.  "  It  isn't  so  much 
that  people  can't  do  anything,  as  that  they  try  to 
do  the  wrong  things,  Aunt  Nancy.  We  all  are 
busy  enough  or  ought  to  be;  only  the  richest  peo 
ple  have  the  most  cares  and  have  to  work  hardest. 
I  used  to  think  that  rich  city  people  did  nothing 
but  amuse  themselves,  when  I  was  a  little  girl ; 
but  I  often  wonder  nowadays  at  the  wisdom  and 
talent  that  are  needed  to  keep  a  high  social  posi 
tion  respected  in  the  world's  eyes.  It  must  be  an 
orderly  and  really  strong-minded  woman  who  can 
keep  her  business  from  getting  into  a  most  mel 
ancholy  tangle.  Yet  nobody  is  afraid  when  the 
most  foolish  girls  take  such  duties  upon  them 
selves,  and  all  the  world  cries  out  with  fear  of  dis 
aster,  if  once  in  a  while  one  makes  up  her  mind 
to  some  other  plan  of  life.  Of  course  I  know  be 
ing  married  is  n't  a  trade  :  it  is  a  natural  condition 
of  life,  which  permits  a  man  to  follow  certain  pub 
lic  careers,  and  forbids  them  to  a  woman.  And 
since  I  have  not  wished  to  be  married,  and  have 
wished  to  study  medicine,  I  don't  see  what  act  of 
Parliament  can  punish  me." 

"  Wait  until  Mr.  Right  comes  along,"  said  Mrs. 
Fraley,  who  had  pushed  back  her  chair  from  the 
table  and  was  beating  her  foot  on  the  floor  in  a 
way  that  betokened  great  displeasure  and  impa 
tience.  "  I  am  only  thankful  I  had  my  day  when 
women  were  content  to  be  stayers  at  home.  I  am 
only  speaking  for  your  good,  and  you.  '11  live  to 
see  the  truth  of  it,  poor  child  !  " 


286  A    COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

"  I  am  sure  she  will  get  over  this,"  apologized 
Miss  Prince,  after  they  had  reached  the  parlor, 
for  she  found  that  her  niece  had  lingered  with 
Miss  Fraley  in  the  dining-room. 

"  Don't  talk  to  me  about  the  Princes  changing 
their  minds,"  answered  the  scornful  old  hostess. 
"  You  ought  to  know  them  better  than  that  by 
this  time."  But  just  at  that  moment  young  Gerry 
came  tapping  at  the  door,  and  the  two  ladies 
quickly  softened  their  excited  looks  and  welcomed 
him  as  the  most  powerful  argument  for  their  side 
of  the  debate.  It  seemed  quite  a  thing  of  the 
past  that  he  should  have  fancied  Mary  Parish, 
and  more  than  one  whisper  had  been  listened  to 
that  the  young  man  was  likely  to  have  the  Prince 
inheritance,  after  all.  He  looked  uncommonly 
well  that  evening,  and  the  elder  women  could  not 
imagine  that  any  damsel  of  his  own  age  would 
consider  him  slightingly.  Nan  had  given  a  little 
shrug  of  impatience  when  she  heard  his  voice  join 
the  weaker  ones  in  the  parlor,  and  a  sense  of  dis 
comfort  that  she  never  had  felt  before  came  over 
her  suddenly.  She  reminded  herself  that  she 
must  tell  her  aunt  that  very  night  that  the  visit 
must  come  to  an  end.  She  had  neglected  her 
books  and  her  drives  with  the  doctor  altogether 
too  long  already. 


XIX. 

FKIEND   AND   LOVER. 

IN  these  summer  days  the  young  lawyer's 
thoughts  had  often  been  busy  elsewhere  while  he 
sat  at  the  shaded  office  window  and  looked  out 
upon  the  river.  The  very  housekeeping  on  the 
damaged  ship  became  more  interesting  to  him  than 
his  law  books,  and  he  watched  the  keeper's  wife 
at  her  various  employments  on  deck,  or  grew  ex 
cited  as  he  witnessed  the  good  woman's  encounters 
with  marauding  small  boys,  who  prowled  about 
hoping  for  chances  of  climbing  the  rigging  or  solv 
ing  the  mysteries  of  the  hold.  It  had  come  to  be 
an  uncommon  event  that  a  square-rigged  vessel 
should  make  the  harbor  of  Dunport,  and  the  elder 
citizens  ignored  the  deserted  wharves,  and  talked 
proudly  of  the  days  of  Dunport's  prosperity, 
convicting  the  railroad  of  its  decline  as  much  as 
was  consistent  with  their  possession  of  profitable 
stock.  The  younger  people  took  the  empty  ware 
houses  for  granted,  and  listened  to  their  grand 
parents'  stories  with  interest,  if  they  did  not  hear 
them  too  often  ;  and  the  more  enterprising  among 
them  spread  their  wings  of  ambition  and  flew 
away  to  the  larger  cities  or  to  the  westward. 


288  A    COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

George  Gerry  had  stayed  behind  reluctantly.  He 
had  neither  enough  desire  for  a  more  active  life, 
nor  so  high  a  purpose  that  he  could  disregard 
whatever  opposition  lay  in  his  way.  Yet  he  was 
honestly  dissatisfied  with  his  surroundings,  and 
thought  himself  hardly  used  by  a  hindering  fate. 
He  believed  himself  to  be  most  anxious  to  get 
away,  yet  he  was  like  a  ship  which  will  not  be 
started  out  of  port  by  anything  less  than  a  hurri 
cane.  There  really  were  excuses  for  his  staying 
at  home,  and  since  he  had  stopped  to  listen  to 
them  they  beguiled  him  more  and  more,  and  his 
friends  one  by  one  commended  his  devotion  to  his 
mother  and  sisters,  and  sometimes  forgot  to  sym 
pathize  with  him  for  his  disappointments  as  they 
praised  him  for  being  such  a  dutiful  son.  To  be 
sure,  he  might  be  a  great  lawyer  in  Dunport  as 
well  as  anywhere  else  ;  he  would  not  be  the  first ; 
but  a  more  inspiring  life  might  have  made  him 
more  enthusiastic  and  energetic,  and  if  he  could 
have  been  winning  his  way  faster  elsewhere,  and 
sending  home  good  accounts  of  himself,  not  to 
speak  of  substantial  aid,  there  is  no  question 
whether  it  would  not  have  given  his  family  greater 
happiness  and  done  himself  more  good.  He  was 
not  possessed  of  the  stern  determination  which 
wins  its  way  at  all  hazards,  and  so  was  depend 
ent  upon  his  surroundings  for  an  occasional  stim 
ulus. 

But  Dunport  was  very  grateful  to  him  because 
he  had  stayed  at  home,  and  he  was  altogether  the 


FRIEN£>  AND  LOVER.  289 

most  prominent  young  man  in  the  town.  It  is  so 
easy  to  be  thankful  that  one's  friends  are  no  worse 
that  one  sometimes  forgets  to  remember  that  they 
might  be  better;  and  it  would  have  been  only  nat 
ural  if  he  thought  of  himself  more  highly  than  he 
ought  to  think,  since  he  had  received  a  good  deal 
of  applause  and  admiration.  It  is  true  that  he 
had  avoided  vice  more  noticeably  than  he  had  pur 
sued  virtue  ;  but  the  senior  member  of  the  firm, 
Mr.  Sergeant,  pronounced  his  young  partner  to 
have  been  a  most  excellent  student,  and  not  only 
showed  the  greatest  possible  confidence  in  him, 
but  was  transferring  a  good  deal  of  the  business 
to  him  already.  Miss  Prince  and  her  old  lawyer 
had  one  secret  which  had  never  been  suspected, 
and  the  townspeople  thought  more  than  ever  of 
young  Mr.  Gerry's  ability  when  it  was  known 
that  the  most  distinguished  legal  authority  of  that 
region  had  given  him  a  share  of  a  long-established 
business.  George  Gerry  had  been  led  to  thkik 
better  of  himself,  though  it  had  caused  him  no 
little  wonder  when  the  proposal  had  been  made. 
It  was  possible  that  Mr.  Sergeant  feared  that 
there  might  be  some  alliance  offered  by  his  rivals 
in  Dunport.  To  be  sure,  the  younger  firm  had 
been  making  a  good  deal  of  money,  but  it  was  less 
respected  by  the  leading  business  men.  Mr.  Ser 
geant  had  even  conferred  with  his  young  friend 
one  morning  upon  the  propriety  of  some  new  in 
vestments  ;  but  Mr.  Gerry  had  never  even  sus 
pected  that  they  were  the  price  of  his  own  new 

19 


290  A   COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

dignity  and  claim  upon  the  public  honor.  Cap 
tain  Walter  Parish  and  Mr.  Sergeant  had  both 
been  aids  and  advisers  of  Miss  Prince;  but  neither 
had  ever  known  the  condition  of  all  her  financial 
affairs,  and  she  had  made  the  most  of  a  comforta 
ble  sense  of  liberty.  To  do  young  Gerry  justice, 
he  had  not  hesitated  to  express  his  amazement ; 
and  among  his  elders  and  betters,  at  any  rate,  he 
had  laid  his  good  fortune  at  the  door  of  Mr.  Ser 
geant's  generosity  and  kindness  instead  of  his  own 
value. 

But  at  certain  seasons  of  the  year,  like  this, 
there  was  no  excitement  in  the  office,  and  after 
an  attendance  at  court  and  the  proper  adjustment, 
whether  temporary  or  permanent,  of  the  subse 
quent  business,  the  partners  had  returned  to  a 
humdrum  fulfilling  of  the  minor  duties  of  their 
profession,  and  the  younger  man  worked  at  his 
law  books  when  there  were  no  deeds  or  affidavits 
to  engage  his  attention.  He  thought  of  many 
things  as  he  sat  by  his  window ;  it  was  a  great 
relief  to  the  tiresomeness  of  the  dull  rooms  to  look 
at  the  river  and  at  the  shores  and  hills  beyond  ; 
to  notice  .carelessly  whether  the  tide  came  in  or 
went  out.  He  was  apt  to  feel  a  sense  of  dissatis 
faction  in  his  leisure  moments  ;  and  now  a  new 
current  was  bringing  all  its  force  to  bear  upon 
him  in  his  quiet  anchorage. 

His  had  looked  upon  Miss  Prince  as  a  kind  ad 
viser  ;  he  was  on  more  intimate  terms  with  her  than 
with  any  woman  he  knew;  and  the  finer  traits  in 


FRIEND  AND  LOVER.  291 

his  character  were  always  brought  out  by  some 
compelling  force  in  her  dignity  and  simple  ad 
herence  to  her  somewhat  narrow  code  of  morals 
and  etiquette.  He  was  grateful  to  her  for  many 
kindnesses ;  and  as  he  had  grown  older  and  come 
to  perceive  the  sentiment  which  had  been  the  first 
motive  of  her  affection  toward  him,  he  had  in 
stinctively  responded  with  a  mingling  of  gallantry 
and  sympathy  which  made  him,  as  has  been-  al 
ready  said,  appear  at  his  very  best.  The  gossips 
of  Dunport  had  whispered  that  he  knew  that  it 
was  more  than  worth  his  while  to  be  polite  to 
Miss  Prince  ;  but  he  was  too  manly  a  fellow  to 
allow  any  trace  of  subserviency  to  show  itself  in 
his  conduct.  As  often  happens,  he  had  come 
back  to  Dunport  almost  a  stranger  after  his  years 
of  college  life  were  over,  and  he  had  a  mingled 
love  and  impatience  for  the  old  place.  The  last 
year  had  been  very  pleasant,  however:  there 
were  a  few  young  men  whose  good  comrade  and 
leader  he  was ;  his  relations  with  his  fellow-cit 
izens  were  most  harmonious ;  and  as  for  the  girls 
of  his  own  age  and  their  younger  sisters,  who 
were  just  growing  up,  he  was  immensely  pop 
ular  and  admired  by  them.  It  had  become  a  sub 
ject  of  much  discussion  whether  he  and  Mary 
Parish  would  not  presently  decide  upon  becoming 
engaged  to  each  other,  until  Miss  Prince's  long- 
banished  niece  came  to  put  a  new  suspicion  into 
everybody's  mind. 

Many  times  when   George  Gerry  had   a  new 


292  A   COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

proof  that  he  had  somehow  fallen  into  the  habit 
of  walking  home  with  the  pleasant  girl  who  was 
his  friend  and  neighbor,  he  had  told  himself 
abruptly  that  there  was  no  danger  in  it,  and  that 
they  never  could  have  any  other  feeling  for  eacli 
other.  But  he  had  begun  to  think  also  that  she 
belonged  to  him  in  some  vague  way,  and  some 
times  acknowledged  that  it  might  be  a  thing  to 
consider  more  deeply  by  and  by.  He  was  only 
twenty-six,  and  the  world  was  still  before  him, 
but  he  was  not  very  sympathetic  with  other  peo 
ple's  enthusiasm  over  their  love  affairs,  and  won 
dered  if  it  were  not  largely  a  matter  of  tempera 
ment,  though  by  and  by  he  should  like  to  have  a 
home  of  his  own. 

He  was  somewhat  attracted  toward  Miss  Prince, 
the  younger,  for  her  aunt's  sake,  and  had  made  up 
his  mind  that  he  would  be  very  attentive  to  her, 
no  matter  how  displeasing  and  uninteresting  she. 
might  be  :  it  was  sure  to  be  a  time  of  trial  to  his 
old  friend,  and  he  would  help  all  he  could  to  make 
the  visit  as  bearable  as  possible.  Everybody 
knew  of  the  niece's  existence  who  had  known  the 
Prince  family  at  all,  and  though  Miss  Prince  had 
never  mentioned  the  unhappy  fact  until  the  day 
or  two  before  her  guest  was  expected,  her  young 
cavalier  had  behaved  with  most  excellent  discre 
tion,  and  feigning  neither  surprise  nor  dismay 
accepted  the  announcement  in  a  way  that  had 
endeared  him  still  more  to  his  patroness. 

But  on  the  first  Sunday  morning,  when  a  most 


FRIEND  AND  LOVER.  293 

admirable  young  lady  had  walked  up  the  broad 
aisle  of  St.  Ann's  church,  and  Mr.  Gerry  had 
caught  a  glimpse  of  her  between  the  rows  of 
heads  which  all  looked  commonplace  by  contrast, 
it  seemed  to  begin  a  new  era  of  things.  This  was 
a  welcome  link  with  the  busier  world  outside 
Dunport;  this  was  what  he  had  missed  since  he 
had  ended  his  college  days,  a  gleam  of  cosmopoli 
tan  sunshine,  which  made  the  provincial  fog  less 
attractive  than  ever.  He  was  anxious  to  claim 
companionship  with  this  fair  citizen  of  a  larger 
world,  and  to  disclaim  any  idea  of  belonging  to 
the  humdrum  little  circle  which  exaggerated  its 
own  importance.  He  persuaded  himself  that  he 
must  pay  Miss  Prince's  guest  an  early  visit.  It 
was  very  exciting  and  interesting  altogether;  and 
as  he  watched  the  flicker  of  light  in  our  hero 
ine's  hair  as  she  sat  on  the  straight  sofa  in  her 
aunt's  parlor  on  the  Sunday  evening,  a  feeling 
of  great  delight  stole  over  him.  He  had  known 
many  nice  girls  in  his  lifetime,  but  there  was 
something  uncommonly  interesting  about  Miss 
Anna  Prince;  besides,  who  could  help  being  grate 
ful  to  her  for  being  so  much  nicer  than  anybody 
had  expected  ? 

And  so  the  days  went  by.  Nobody  thought 
there  was  any  objection  when  the  junior  partner 
of  the  law  firm  took  holiday  after  holiday,  for 
there  was  little  business  and  Mr.  Sergeant  liked 
to  keep  on  with  his  familiar  routine.  His  old 
friends  came  to  call  frequently,  and  they  had  their 


294  A    COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

conferences  in  peace,  and  were  not  inclined  to  ob 
ject  if  the  younger  ears  were  being  used  else 
where.  Young  people  will  be  young  people,  and 
June  weather  does  not  always  last ;  and  if  George 
Gerry  were  more  devoted  to  social  duties  than  to 
legal  ones,  it  was  quite  natural,  and  he  had  just 
acquitted  himself  most  honorably  at  the  May 
term  of  court,  and  was  his  own  master  if  he  de 
cided  to  take  a  vacation. 

He  had  been  amused  when  the  announcement 
had  been  made  so  early  in  their  acquaintance  that 
Nan  meant  to  study  medicine.  He  believed  if 
there  were  any  fault,  it  was  Dr.  Leslie's,  and  only 
thought  it  a  pity  that  her  evident  practical  tal 
ents  had  not  been  under  the  guidance  of  a  more 
sensible  director.  The  girl's  impetuous  defense 
of  her  choice  was  very  charming ;  he  had  often 
heard  Mr.  Sergeant  speak  of  the  rare  insight  and 
understanding  of  legal  matters  which  his  favorite 
daughter  had  possessed,  and  her  early  death  had 
left  a  lonely  place  in  the  good  man's  heart.  Miss 
Prince's  life  at  Oldfields  must  have  been  very  dull, 
especially  since  her  boarding-school  days  were 
over.  For  himself  he  had  a  great  prejudice  against 
the  usurpation  of  men's  duties  and  prerogatives 
by  women,  and  had  spoken  of  all  such  assump 
tions  with  contempt.  It  made  a  difference  that 
this  attractive  young  student  had  spoken  bravely 
on  the  wrong  side ;  but  if  he  had  thought  much 
about  it  he  would  have  made  himself  surer  and 
surer  that  only  time  was  needed  to  show  her  the 


F&IEND  AND  LOVER.  295 

mistake.  If  he  had  gone  deeper  into  the  subject 
he  would  have  said  that  he  thought  it  all  non 
sense  about  women's  having  the  worst  of  it  in  life  ; 
he  had  known  more  than  one  good  fellow  who 
had  begun  to  go  down  hill  from  the  day  he  was 
married,  and  if  girls  would  only  take  the  trouble 
to  fit  themselves  for  their  indoor  business  the 
world  would  be  a  vastly  more  comfortable  place. 
And  as  for  their  tinkering  at  the  laws,  such 
projects  should  be  bitterly  resented. 

It  only  needed  a  few  days  to  make  it  plain  to 
this  good  fellow  that  the  coming  of  one  of  the 
summer  guests  had  made  a  great  difference  in  his 
life.  It  was  easy  to  find  a  hundred  excuses  for 
going  to  Miss  Prince's,  who  smiled  benignantly 
upon  his  evident  interest  in  the  fair  stranger 
within  her  gates.  The  truth  must  be  confessed, 
however,  that  the  episode  of  the  lamed  shoulder 
at  the  picnic  party  had  given  Mr.  George  Gerry 
great  unhappiness.  There  was  something  so  high 
and  serene  in  Anna  Prince's  simplicity  and  direct 
ness,  and  in  the  way  in  which  she  had  proved  her 
self  adequate  to  so  unusual  an  occasion,  that  he 
could  not  help  mingling  a  good  deal  of  admiration 
with  his  dissatisfaction.  It  is  in  human  nature  to 
respect  power ;  but  all  his  manliness  was  at  stake, 
and  his  natural  rights  would  be  degraded  and  lost, 
if  he  could  not  show  his  power  to  be  greater  than 
her  own.  And  as  the  days  went  by,  every  one 
made  him  more  certain  that  he  longed,  more  than 


296  A   COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

he  bad  ever  longed  for  anything  before,  to  win 
her  love.  His  heart  had  never  before  been  deeply 
touched,  but  life  seemed  now  like  a  heap  of  dry 
wood,  which  had  only  waited  for  a  live  coal  to 
make  it  flame  and  leap  in  mysterious  light,  and 
transfigure  itself  from  dullness  into  a  bewildering 
and  unaccountable  glory.  It  was  no  wonder  any 
longer  that  poets  had  sung  best  of  love  and  its 
joys  and  sorrows,  and  that  men  and  women,  since 
the  world  began,  had  followed  at  its  call.  All  life 
and  its  history  was  explained  anew,  yet  this  eager 
lover  felt  himself  to  be  the  first  discoverer  of  the 
world's  great  secret. 

It  was  hard  to  wait  and  to  lack  assurance,  but 
while  the  hours  when  he  had  the  ideal  and  the 
dream  seemed  to  make  him  certain,  he  had  only 
to  go  back  to  Miss  Prince's  to  become  doubtful 
and  miserable  again.  The  world  did  not  con 
sent  to  second  his  haste,  and  the  persons  most 
concerned  in  his  affairs  were  stupidly  slow  at 
understanding  the  true  state  of  them.  While 
every  day  made  the  prize  look  more  desirable, 
every  day  seemed  to  put  another  barrier  between 
himself  and  Nan ;  and  when  she  spoke  of  her  vis 
it's  end  it  was  amazing  to  him  that  she  should  not 
understand  his  misery.  He  wondered  at  himself 
more  and  more  because  he  seemed  to  have  the 
power  of  behaving  much  as  usual  when  he  was 
with  his  friends ;  it  seemed  impossible  that  he 
could  always  go  on  without  betraying  his  thoughts. 
There  was  no  question  of  any  final  opposition  to 


FRIEND  AND  LOVER.  297 

his  suit,  it  seemed  to  him ;  he  could  not  be  more 
sure  than  he  was  already  of  Miss  Prince's  willing 
ness  to  let  him  plead  his  cause  with  her  niece,  so 
many  vexed  questions  would  be  pleasantly  an 
swered;  and  he  ventured  to  hope  that  the  girl 
herself  would  be  glad  to  spend  her  life  in  dear 
old  Dunport,  where  her  father's  people  had  been 
honored  for  so  many  years.  The  good  Dr.  Leslie 
must  be  fast  growing  old,  and,  though  he  would 
miss  his  adopted  child,  it  was  reasonable  that  he 
should  be  glad  to  see  her  happily  anchored  in  a 
home  of  her  own,  before  he  died.  If  Nan  were 
friendless  and  penniless  it  would  make  no  differ 
ence  ;  but  nevertheless,  for  her  sake,  it  was  good 
to  remember  that  some  one  had  said  that  Dr. 
Leslie,  unlike  most  physicians,  was  a  man  of  for 
tune.  And  nothing  remained  but  to  win  an 
affection  which  should  match  his  own,  and  this 
impatient  suitor  walked  and  drove  and  spent  the 
fleeting  hours  in  waiting  for  a  chance  to  show 
himself  in.  the  lists  of  love.  It  seemed  years  in 
stead  of  weeks  at  last,  and  yet  as  if  he  had  only 
been  truly  alive  and  free  since  love  had  made  him 
captive.  He  could  not  fasten  himself  down  to  his 
work  without  great  difficulty,  though  he  built 
many  a  castle  in  Spain  with  his  imagined  wealth, 
and  laid  deep  plans  of  study  and  acquirement 
which  should  be  made  evident  as  time  went  on. 

All  things  seemed  within  his  reach  in  these  first 
days  of  his  enlightenment:  it  had  been  like  the  ris 
ing  of  the  sun  which  showed  him  a  new  world  of 


298  A   COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

which  he  was  lawful  master,  but  the  minor  events 
of  his  blissful  existence  began  to  conspire  against 
him  in  a  provoking  way,  and  presently  it  was  sadly 
forced  upon  his  understanding  that  Anna  Prince 
was  either  unconscious  or  disdainful  of  his  af 
fection.  It  could  hardly  be  the  latter,  for  she 
was  always  friendly  and  hospitable,  and  took  his 
courtesies  in  such  an  unsuspecting  and  grateful 
way.  There  was  something  so  self-reliant  about 
her  and  so  independent  of  any  one's  protection, 
that  this  was  the  most  discouraging  thing  of  all, 
for  his  own  instinct  was  that  of  standing  between 
her  and  all  harm,  —  of  making  himself  responsible 
for  her  shelter  and  happiness.  She  seemed  to  get 
on  capitally  well  without  him,  but  after  all  he 
could  not  help  being  conqueror  in  so  just  and  in 
evitable  a  war.  The  old  proverb  suddenly  changed 
from  a  pebble  to  a  diamond,  and  he  thanked  the 
philosopher  more  than  once  who  had  first  reminded 
the  world  that  faint  heart  ne'er  won  fair  lady  ; 
presently  he  grew  sad,  as  lovers  will,  and  became 
paler  and  less  vigorous,  and  made  his  friends  won 
der  a  good  deal,  until  they  at  last  suspected  his 
sweet  sorrow,  and  ranged  themselves  in  eager  ranks 
upon  his  side,  with  all  history  and  tradition  in 
their  favor. 

Nan  herself  was  not  among  the  first  to  suspect 
that  one  of  her  new  friends  had  proved  to  be  a 
lover  ;  she  had  been  turned  away  from  such  sus 
picions  by  her  very  nature ;  and  when  she  had  been 
forced  to  believe  in  one  or  two  other  instances  that 


FRIEND  AND   LOVER.  299 

she  was  unwillingly  drawing  to  herself  the  devo 
tion  which  most  women  unconsciously  seek,  she 
had  been  made  most  uncomfortable,  and  had  re 
pelled  all  possibility  of  its  further  progress.  She 
had  believed  herself  proof  against  such  assailment, 
and  so  indeed  she  had  been ;  but  on  the  very  even 
ing  of  her  battle  for  her  opinions  at  Mrs.  Fraley's 
she  had  been  suddenly  confronted  by  a  new  enemy, 
a  strange  power,  which  seemed  so  dangerous  that 
she  was  at  first  overwhelmed  by  a  sense  of  her 
own  defenselessness. 

She  had  waited  with  Miss  Fraley,  who  was  not 
quite  ready  to  leave  the  dining-room  with  the  rest, 
and  had  been  much  touched  by  her  confidence. 
Poor  Eunice  had  been  very  fond  of  one  of  her 
school- fellows,  who  had  afterward  entered  the 
navy,  and  who  had  been  fond  of  her  in  return. 
But  as  everybody  had  opposed  the  match,  for  her 
sake,  and  had  placed  little  reliance  in  the  young 
man,  she  had  meekly  given  up  all  hope  of  being 
his  wife,  and  he  had  died  of  yellow  fever  at  Key 
West  soon  after.  "  We  were  not  even  engaged 
you  know,  dear,"  whispered  the  little  lady,  "  but 
somehow  I  have  always  felt  in  my  heart  that  I  be 
longed  to  him.  Though  I  believe  every  word  you 
said  about  a  girl's  having  an  independence  of  her 
own.  It  is  a  great  blessing  to  have  always  had 
such  a  person  as  my  mother  to  lean  upon,  but  I 
should  be  quite  helpless  if  she  were  taken  away. 
...  Of  course  I  have  had  what  I  needed  and 
what  we  could  afford,"  she  went  on,  after  another 


300  A    COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

pause,  "  but  I  never  can  get  over  hating  to  ask 
for  money.  I  do  sometimes  envy  the  women  who 
earn  what  they  spend." 

Nan's  eyes  flashed.  "  I  think  it  is  only  fair  that 
even  those  who  have  to  spend  their  husband's  or 
their  father's  money  should  be  made  to  feel  it  is 
their  own.  If  one  does  absolutely  nothing  in  one's 
home,  and  is  not  even  able  to  give  pleasure,  then 
I  think  it  is  stealing.  I  have  felt  so  strongly 
about  that  since  I  have  grown  up,  for  you  know 
Dr.  Leslie,  my  guardian,  has  done  everything  for 
me.  Aunt  Nancy  gave  me  money  every  year,  but 
I  never  spent  any  of  it  until  I  went  away  to  school, 
and  then  I  insisted  upon  taking  that  and  what  my 
grandmother  left  me.  But  my  later  studies  have 
more  than  used  it  all.  Dr.  Leslie  is  so  kind  to 
me,  like  an  own  father,  and  I  am  looking  forward 
to  my  life  with  him  most  eagerly.  After  the  next 
year  or  two  I  shall  be  at  home  all  the  time,  and  I 
am  so  glad  to  think  I  can  really  help  him,  and 
that  we  are  interested  in  the  same  tinners." 

Miss  Eunice  was  a  little  incredulous,  though  she 
did  not  dare  to  say  so.  In  the  first  place,  she 
could  not  be  persuaded  that  a  woman  could  pos 
sibly  know  as  much  about  diseases  and  their  reme 
dies  as  a  man,  and  she  wondered  if  even  the  rural 
inhabitants  of  Oldfields  would  cheerfully  accept 
the  change  from  their  trusted  physician  to  his 
young  ward,  no  matter  what  sails  of  diplomas  she 
might  spread  to  the  breeze.  But  Nan's  perfect 
faith  and  confidence  were  not  to  be  lightly  dis- 


FRIEND  AND  LOVER.  301 

puted  ;  and  if  the  practice  of  medicine  by  women 
could  be  made  honorable,  it  certainly  was  in  able 
hands  here,  as  far  as  an  admiring  friend  could  de 
cide.  Nan  was  anything  but  self-asserting,  and 
she  had  no  noisy  fashion  of  thrusting  herself  be 
fore  the  public  gaze,  but  everybody  trusted  her 
who  knew  her ;  she  had  the  rare  and  noble  faculty 
of  inspiring  confidence. 

There  was  no  excuse  for  a  longer  absence  from 
the  parlor,  where  Mrs.  Fraley  was  throned  in  state 
in  her  high-backed  chair,  and  was  already  calling 
the  loiterers.  She  and  Miss  Prince  were  smiling 
indulgently  upon  the  impatient  young  man,  who 
was  describing  to  them  a  meeting  of  the  stock 
holders  of  the  Turnpike  Company,  of  which  he 
had  last  year  been  made  secretary.  A  dividend 
had  been  declared,  and  it  was  larger  than  had 
been  expected,  and  the  ladies  were  as  grateful  as 
if  he  had  furnished*  the  means  from  his  own 
pocket.  He  looked  very  tall  and  handsome  and 
business-like  as  he  rose  to  salute  Miss  Fraley  and 
Nan,  and  presently  told  his  real  errand.  He  apol 
ogized  for  interfering  with  the  little  festival,  but 
two  or  three  of  the  young  people  had  suddenly 
made  a  plan  for  going  to  see  a  play  which  was  to 
be  given  that  night  in  the  town  hall  by  a  travel 
ing  company.  Would  Miss  Anna  Prince  care  to 
go,  and  Miss  Fraley  ? 

Nan  hardly  knew  why  she  at  once  refused,  and 
was  filled  with  regret  when  she  saw  a  look  of 
childish  expectancy  on  Miss  Eunice's  face  quickly 
change  to  disappointment. 


302  A   COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

'"  It  is  too  hot  to  shut  one's  self  into  that 
close  place,  I  am  afraid,"  she  said.  "  And  I  am 
enjoying  myself  very  much  here,  Mr.  Gerry.'' 
Which  was  generous  on  Nan's  part,  if  one  con 
sidered  the  premeditated  war  which  had  been 
waged  against  her.  Then  the  thought  flashed 
through  her  mind  that  it  might  be  a  bit  of  good 
fun  for  her  companion ;  and  without  waiting  for 
either  approval  or  opposition  from  the  elder 
women,  she  said,  in  a  different  tone,  "  However, 
if  Miss  Fraley  will  go  too,  I  will  accept  with  pleas 
ure;  I  suppose  it  is  quite  time  ?  "  and  before  there 
could  be  a  formal  dissent  she  had  hurried  the 
pleased  daughter  of  the  house,  who  was  not  quick 
in  her  movements,  to  her  room,  and  in  a  few 
minutes,  after  a  good  deal  of  laughter  which  the 
presence  of  the  escort  kept  anybody  from  even 
wishing  to  silence,  the  three  were  fairly  started 
down  the  street.  It  was  of  no  avail  that  Mrs. 
Fraley  condemned  her  own  judgment  in  not  hav 
ing  advised  Eunice  to  stay  at  home  and  leave  the 
young  people  free,  and  that  Miss  Prince  made  a 
feeble  protest  for  politeness'  sake,  —  the  pleasure- 
makers  could  not  be  called  back. 

Nan  had  really  grown  into  a  great  liking  for 
George  Gerry.  She  often  thought  it  would  have 
been  very  good  to  have  such  a  brother.  But 
more  than  one  person  in  the  audience  thought 
they  had  never  seen  a  braver  young  couple  ;  and 
the  few  elderly  persons  of  discretion  wbo  had 
gone  to  the  play  felt  their  hearts  thrill  with  sud* 


FRIEND  AND  LOVER.  303 

clen  sympathy  as  our  friends  went  far  down  the 
room  to  their  seats.  Miss  Fraley  was  almost  girl 
ish  herself,  and  looked  so  pleased  and  bright  that 
everybody  who  cared  anything  about  her  smiled 
when  they  caught  sight  of  her,  she  was  so  prim 
and  neat ;  it  was  impossible  for  her,  under  any 
circumstances,  to  look  anything  but  discreet  and 
quaint ;  but  as  for  Nan,  she  was  beautiful  with 
youth  and  health ;  as  simply  dressed  as  Miss  Eu 
nice,  but  with  the  gayety  of  a  flower,  —  some 
slender,  wild  thing,  that  has  sprung  up  fearlessly 
under  the  great  sky,  with  only  the  sunshine  and 
the  wind  and  summer  rain  to  teach  it,  and  help 
it  fulfill  its  destiny,  —  a  flower  that  has  grown 
with  no  painful  effort  of  its  own,  but  because  God 
made  it  and  kept  it ;  that  has  bloomed  because  it 
has  come  in  the  course  of  its  growth  to  the  right 
time.  And  Miss  Eunice,  like  a  hindered  little 
house-plant,  took  a  long  breath  of  delight  as  she 
sat  close  by  her  kind  young  friend,  and  felt  as  if 
somebody  had  set  her  roots  free  from  their  fa 
miliar  prison. 

To  let  God  make  us,  instead  of  painfully  try 
ing  to  make  ourselves ;  to  follow  the  path  that 
his  love  shows  us,  instead  of  through  conceit  or 
cowardice  or  mockery  choosing  another  ;  to  trust 
Him  for  our  strength  and  fitness  as  the  flowers 
do,  simply  giving  ourselves  back  to  Him  in  grate 
ful  service,  —  this  is  to  keep  the  laws  that  give  us 
the  freedom  of  the  city  in  which  there  is  no  longer 
any  night  of  bewilderment  or  ignorance  or  uncer- 


304  A    COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

tainty.  So  the  woman  who  had  lived  a  life  of 
bondage,  whose  hardest  task-master  was  herself, 
and  the  woman  who  had  been  both  taught  and 
inspired  to  hold  fast  her  freedom,  sat  side  by  side : 
the  one  life  having  been  blighted  because  it  lacked 
its  mate,  and  was  but  half  a  life  in  itself ;  while 
the  other,  fearing  to  give  half  its  royalty  or  to 
share  its  bounty,  was  being  tempted  to  cripple  it 
self,  and  to  lose  its  strait  and  narrow  way  where 
God  had  left  no  room  for  another. 

For  as  the  play  went  on  and  the  easily  pleased 
audience  laughed  and  clapped  its  hands,  and  the 
tired  players  bowed  and  smiled  from  behind  the 
flaring  foot-lights,  there  was  one  spectator  who 
was  conscious  of  a  great  crisis  in  her  own  life, 
which  the  mimicry  of  that  evening  seemed  to  rid 
icule  and  counterfeit.  And  though  Nan  smiled 
with  the  rest,  and  even  talked  with  her  neighbors 
while  the  tawdry  curtain  had  fallen,  it  seemed  to 
her  that  the  coming  of  Death  at  her  life's  end 
could  not  be  more  strange  and  sudden  than  this 
great  barrier  which  had  fallen  between  her  and 
her  girlhood,  the  dear  old  life  which  had  kept  her 
so  unpuzzled  and  safe.  So  this  was  love  at  last, 
this  fear,  this  change,  this  strange  relation  to 
another  soul.  Who  could  stand  now  at  her  right 
hand  and  give  her  grace  to  hold  fast  the  truth 
that  her  soul  must  ever  be  her  own  ? 

The  only  desire  that  possessed  her  was  to  be 
alone  again,  to  make  Love  show  his  face  as  well 
as  make  his  mysterious  presence  felt.  She  was 


FRIEND  AND  LOVER.  305 

thankful  for  the  shelter  of  the  crowd,  and  went 
on,  wishing  that  the  short  distance  to  her  aunt's 
home  could  be  made  even  shorter.  She  had 
felt  this  man's  love  for  her  only  in  a  vague  way 
before,  and  now,  as  he  turned  to  speak  to  her 
from,  time  to  time,  she  could  not  meet  his  eyes. 
The  groups  of  people  bade  each  other  good-night 
merrily,  though  the  entertainment  had  been  a 
little  tiresome  to  every  one  at  the  last,  and  it 
seemed  the  briefest  space  of  time  before  Miss 
Fraley  and  Nan  and  their  cavalier  were  left  by 
themselves,  and  at  last  Nan  and  George  Gerry 
were  alone  together. 

For  his  part  he  had  never  been  so  happy  as 
that  night.  It  seemed  to  him  that  his  wish  was 
coming  true,  and  he  spoke  gently  enough  and  of 
the  same  things  they  might  have  talked  about  the 
night  before,  but  a  splendid  chorus  of  victory  was 
sounding  in  his  ears ;  and  once,  as  they  stopped 
for  a  moment  to  look  between  two  of  the  old 
warehouses  at  the  shining  river  and  the  masts 
and  rigging  of  the  ship  against  the  moon-lighted 
sky,  he  was  just  ready  to  speak  to  the  girl  at  his 
side.  But  he  looked  at  her  first  and  then  was 
silent.  There  was  something  in  her  face  that 
forbade  it,  —  a  whiteness  and  a  strange  look  in 
her  eyes,  that  made  him  lose  all  feeling  of  com 
radeship  or  even  acquaintance.  "  I  wonder  if  the 
old  Highflyer  will  ever  go  out  again  ?  "  she  said 
slowly.  "  Captain  Parish  told  me  some  time  ago 
that  he  had  found  her  more  badly  damaged  than 
20 


306  A   COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

he  supposed.  A  vessel  like  that  belongs  to  the 
high  seas,  and  is  like  a  prisoner  when  it  touches 
shore.  I  believe  that  the  stray  souls  that  have  no 
bodies  must  sometimes  make  a  dwelling  in  inani 
mate  things  and  make  us  think  they  are  alive.  I 
am  always  sorry  for  that  ship  "  — 

"  Its  guardian  angel  must  have  been  asleep  the 
night  of  the  collision,"  laughed  young  Gerry, 
uneasily  ;  he  was  displeased  with  himself  the  mo 
ment  afterward,  but  Nan  laughed  too,  and  felt  a 
sense  of  reprieve  ;  and  they  went  on  again  and 
said  good  night  quietly  on  the  steps  of  the  old 
Prince  house.  It  was  very  late  for  Dun  port,  and 
the  door  was  shut,  but  through  the  bull's-eyed 
panes  of  glass  overhead  a  faint  light  was  shining, 
though  it  could  hardly  assert  itself  against  the 
moonlight.  Miss  Prince  was  still  down-stairs,  and 
her  niece  upbraided  her,  and  then  began  to  give 
an  account  of  the  play,  which  was  cut  short  by 
the  mistress  of  the  house ;  for  after  one  eager,  long 
look  at  Nan,  she  became  sleepy  and  disappointed, 
and  they  said  good-night  ;  but  the  girl  felt  cer 
tain  that  her  aunt  was  leagued  against  her,  and 
grew  sick  at  heart  and  tired  as  she  climbed  the 
stairs.  There  was  a  letter  on  the  long  mahogany 
table  in  the  hall,  and  Nan  stopped  and  looked 
over  the  railing  at  it  wearily.  Miss  Prince 
stopped  too,  and  said  she  was  sorry  she  had  for 
gotten,  —  it  was  from  Oldfields,  and  in  Dr.  Les 
lie's  writing.  But  though  Nan  went  back  for  it, 
and  kissed  it  more  than  once  before  she  went  to 


FRIEND  AND  LOVER.  307 

bed,  and  even  put  it  under  her  pillow  as  a  com 
fort  and  defense  against  she  knew  not  what,  for 
the  first  time  in  her  life  she  was  afraid  to  open  it 
and  read  the  kind  words.  That  night  she  watched 
the  moonlight  creep  along  the  floor,  and  heard 
the  cocks  crow  at  midnight  and  in  the  morning ; 
the  birds  woke  with  the  new  day  while  she  tried 
to  understand  the  day  that  had  gone,  wondering 
what  she  must  do  and  say  when  she  faced  the 
world  again  only  a  few  hours  later. 

Sometimes  she  felt  herself  carried  along  upon  a 
rushing  tide,  and  was  amazed  that  a  hundred  gifts 
and  conditions  to  which  she  had  scarcely  given  a 
thought  seemed  dear  and  necessary.  .  Once  she 
fancied  herself  in  a  quiet  home ;  living  there,  per 
haps,  in  that  very  house,  and  being  pleased  with 
her  ordering  and  care -taking.  And  her  great 
profession  was  all  like  a  fading  dream ;  it  seemed 
now  no  matter  whether  she  had  ever  loved  the 
studies  of  it,  or  been  glad  to  think  that  she  had 
it  in  her  power  to  make  suffering  less,  or  prevent 
it  altogether.  Her  old  ambitions  were  torn  away 
from  her  one  by  one,  and  in  their  place  came  the 
hardly-desired  satisfactions  of  love  and  marriage, 
and  home -making  and  housekeeping,  the  dear, 
womanly,  sheltered  fashions  of  life,  toward  which 
she  had  been  thankful  to  see  her  friends  go  hand 
in  hand,  making  themselves  a  complete  happiness 
which  nothing  else  could  match.  But  as  the  night 
waned,  the  certainty  of  her  duty  grew  clearer  and 
clearer.  She  had  long  ago  made  up  her  mind  that 


308  A    COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

she  must  not  marry.  She  might  be  happy,  it  was 
true,  and  make  other  people  so,  but  her  duty  was 
not  this,  and  a  certainty  that  satisfaction  and  the 
blessing  of  God  would  not  follow  her  into  these 
reverenced  and  honored  limits  came  to  her  dis 
tinctly.  One  by  one  the  reasons  for  keeping  on 
her  chosen  course  grew  more  unanswerable  than 
ever.  She  had  not  thought  she  should  be  called 
to  resist  this  temptation,  but  since  it  had  come 
she  was  glad  she  was  strong  enough  to  meet  it. 
It  would  be  no  real  love  for  another  person,  and 
no  justice  to  herself,  to  give  up  her  work,  even 
though  holding  it  fast  would  bring  weariness  and 
pain  and  reproach,  and  the  loss  of  many  things 
that  other  women  held  dearest  and  best. 

In  the  morning  Nan  smiled  when  her  aunt  no 
ticed  her  tired  look,  and  said  that  the  play  had 
been  a  pursuit  of  pleasure  under  difficulties.  And 
though  Miss  Prince  looked  up  in  dismay,  and  was 
full  of  objections  and  almost  querulous  reproaches 
because  Nan  said  she  must  end  her  visit  within 
a  day  or  two,  she  hoped  that  George  Gerry  would 
be,  after  all,  a  reason  for  the  girl's  staying.  Un 
til  Nan,  who  had  been  standing  by  the  window, 
looking  wistfully  at  the  garden,  suddenly  turned 
and  said,  gently  and  solemnly,  "  Listen,  Aunt 
Nancy  !  I  must  be  about  my  business ;  you  do 
not  know  what  it  means  to  me,  or  what  I  hope  to 
make  it  mean  to  other  people."  And  then  Miss 
Prince  knew  once  for  all,  that  it  was  useless  to 
hope  or  to  plan  any  longer.  But  she  would  not 


FRIEND  AND  LOVER.  309 

let  herself  be  vanquished  so  easily,  and  summoned 
to  her  mind  many  assurances  that  girls  would  not 
be  too  easily  won,  and  after  a  short  season  of  dis 
approving  silence,  returned  to  her  usual  manner 
as  if  there  had  been  neither  difference  nor  dis 
pute. 


XX. 

ASHORE  AND    AFLOAT. 

"  YOUR  cousin  Walter  Parish  is  coming  to 
dine  with  us  to-day,"  said  Miss  Prince,  later  that 
morning.  "  He  came  to  the  Fraleys  just  after  you 
went  out  last  evening,  to  speak  with  me  about  a 
business  matter,  and  waited  to  walk  home  with 
me  afterward.  I  have  been  meaning  to  invite  him 
here  with  his  wife,  but  there  does  n't  seem  to  be 
much  prospect  of  her  leaving  her  room  for  some 
time  yet,  and  this  morning  I  happened  to  find  an 
uncommonly  good  pair  of  young  ducks.  Old  Mr. 
Brown  has  kept  my  liking  for  them  in  mind  for  a 
great  many  years.  Your  grandfather  used  to  say 
that  there  was  nothing  like  a  duckling  to  his 
taste  ;  he  used  to  eat  them  in  England,  but  peo 
ple  in  this  country  let  them  get  too  old.  He  was 
willing  to  pay  a  great  price  for  ducklings  always ; 
but  even  Mr.  Brown  seems  to  think  it  is  a  great 
wrong  not  to  let  them  grow  until  Thanksgiving 
time,  and  makes  a  great  many  apologies  every 
year.  It  is  from  his  farm  that  we  always  get 
the  best  lamb  too  ;  they  are  very  nice  people,  the 
Browns,  but  the  poor  old  man  seems  very  feeble 
this  summer.  Some  day  I  should  really  like  to 


ASHORE  AND  AFLOAT.  311 

take  a  drive  out  into  the  country  to  see  them,  you 
know  so  well  how  to  manage  a  horse.  You  can 
spare  a  day  or  two  to  give  time  for  that,  can't 
you?" 

Nan  was  sorry  to  hear  the  pleading  tone,  it 
was  so  unlike  her  aunt's  usually  severe  manner, 
and  answered  quickly  that  she  should  be  very 
glad  to  make  the  little  excursion.  Mr.  Brown 
had  asked  her  to  come  to  the  farm  one  day  near 
the  beginning  of  her  visit. 

"  You  must  say  this  is  home,  if  you  can,"  said 
Miss  Prince,  who  was  a  good  deal  excited  and 
shaken  that  morning,  "  and  not  think  of  yourself 
as  a  visitor  any  more.  There  are  a  great  many 
things  I  hope  you  can  understand,  even  if  I  have 
left  them  unsaid.  It  has  really  seemed  more  like 
home  since  you  have  been  here,  and  less  like  a 
lodging.  I  wonder  how  I  —  When  did  you  see 
Mr.  Brown  ?  I  did  not  know  you  had  ever  spoken 
to  him." 

"  It  was  some  time  ago,"  the  girl  answered. 
"  I  was  in  the  kitchen,  and  he  came  to  the  door. 
He  seemed  very  glad  to  see  me,"  and  Nan  hesi 
tated  a  moment.  "  He  said  I  was  like  my  father." 

"  Yes,  indeed,"  responded  Miss  Prince,  drearily ; 
and  the  thought  seized  her  that  it  was  very 
strange  that  the  same  mistaken  persistency  should 
show  itself  in  father  and  child  in  exactly  opposite 
ways.  If  Nan  would  only  care  as  much  for  mar 
rying  George  Gerry,  as  her  father  had  for  mar- 
rying  his  wretched  wife!  It  seemed  more  and 


312  A   COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

more  impossible  that  this  little  lady  should  be 
the  daughter  of  such  a  woman  ;  how  dismayed 
the  girl  would  be  if  she  could  be  shown  her  moth 
er's  nature  as  Miss  Prince  remembered  it.  Alas ! 
this  was  already  a  sorrow  which  no  vision  of  the 
reality  could  deepen,  and  the  frank  words  of  the 
Oldfields  country  people  about  the  bad  Thachers 
had  not  been  spoken  fruitlessly  in  the  ears  of 
their  last  descendant. 

44 1  am  so  glad  the  captain  is  coming,"  Nan  said 
presently,  to  break  the  painful  silence.  "  I  do 
hope  that  he  and  Dr.  Leslie  will  know  each  other 
some  time,  they  would  be  such  capital  friends. 
The  doctor  sent  his  kind  regards  to  you  in  last 
night's  letter,  and  asked  me  again  to  say  that 
he  hoped  that  you  would  come  to  us  before  the 
summer  is  over.  I  should  like  so  much  to  have 
you  know  what  Oldfields  is  like."  It  was  hard 
to  save  herself  from  saying  "  home  "  again,  in 
stead  of  Oldfields,  but  the  change  of  words  was 
made  quickly. 

"  He  is  very  courteous  and  hospitable,  but  I 
never  pay  visits  nowadays,"  said  Miss  Prince,  and 
thought  almost  angrily  that  there  was  no  neces 
sity  for  her  making  a  target  of  herself  for  all  those 
curious  country  -  people's  eyes.  And  then  they 
rose  and  separated  for  a  time,  each  being  bur 
dened  less  by  care  than  thought. 

The  captain  came  early  to  dine,  and  brought 
with  him  his  own  and  Miss  Prince's  'letters  from 


ASHORE  AND  AFLOAT.  313 

the  post-office,  together  with  the  morning  paper, 
which  he  proceeded  to  read.  He  also  seemed  to 
have  a  weight  upon  his  mind,  but  by  the  time 
they  were  at  table  a  mild  cheerfulness  made  itself 
felt,  and  Nan  summoned  all  her  resources  and 
was  gayer  and  brighter  than  usual.  Miss  Prince 
had  gone  down  town  early  in  the  day,  and  her 
niece  was  perfectly  sure  that  there  had  been  a 
consultation  with  Mr.  Gerry.  He  had  passed  the 
house  while  Nan  sat  at  her  upper  window  writ 
ing,  and  had  looked  somewhat  wistfully  at  the 
door  as  if  he  had  half  a  mind  to  enter  it.  He 
was  like  a  great  magnet :  it  seemed  impossible  to 
resist  looking  after  him,  and  indeed  his  ghost-like 
presence  would  not  forsake  her  mind,  but  seemed 
urging  her  toward  his  visible  self.  The  thought 
of  him  was  so  powerful  that  the  sight  of  the  young 
man  was  less  strange  and  compelling,  and  it  was 
almost  a  relief  to  have  seen  his  familiar  appear 
ance,  —  the  strong  figure  in  its  every-day  clothes, 
his  unstudent-like  vigor,  and  easy  step  as  he  went 
by.  She  liked  him  still,  but  she  hated  love,  it 
was  making  her  so  miserable,  —  even  when  later 
she  told  Captain  Parish  some  delightful  Oldfields 
stories,  of  so  humorous  a  kind  that  he  laughed 
long  and  struck  the  table  more  than  once,  which 
set  the  glasses  jingling,  and  gave  a  splendid  ap 
proval  to  the  time-honored  fun.  The  ducklings 
were  amazingly  good ;  and  when  Captain  Walter 
had  tasted  his  wine  and  read  the  silver  label 
on  the  decanter,  which  as  usual  gave  no  evidence 


314  A   COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

of  the  rank  and  dignity  of  the  contents,  his  eyes 
sparkled  with  satisfaction,  and  he  turned  to  his 
cousin's  daughter  with  impressive  gravity. 

"  You  may  never  have  tasted  such  wine  as 
that,"  he  said.  "  Your  grandfather,  the  luckiest 
captain  who  ever  sailed  out  of  Dunport,  brought 
it  home  fifty  years  ago,  and  it  was  well  ripened 
then.  I  didn't  know  there  was  a  bottle  of  it 
left,  Nancy,"  he  laughed.  "  My  dear,  your  aunt 
has  undertaken  to  pay  one  of  us  a  handsome  com 
pliment." 

"  Your  health,  cousin  Walter ! "  said  the  girl 
quickly,  lifting  her  own  glass,  and  making  him  a 
little  bow  over  the  old  Madeira. 

"  Bless  your  dear  heart !  "  responded  the  cap 
tain  ;  "  the  same  good  wishes  to  you  in  return,  and 
now  you  must  join  me  in  my  respects  to  your  aunt. 
Nancy !  I  beg  you  not  to  waste  this  in  pudding- 
sauces  ;  that  's  the  way  with  you  ladies." 

The  toast-drinking  had  a  good  effect  upon  the 
little  company,  and  it  seemed  as  if  the  cloud  which 
had  hung  over  it  at  first  had  been  blown  away. 
When  there  was  no  longer  any  excuse  for  linger 
ing  at  the  table,  the  guest  seemed  again  a  little 
ill  at  ease,  and  after  a  glance  at  his  hostess,  pro 
posed  to  Nan  that  they  should  take  a  look  at  the 
garden.  The  old  sailor  had  become  in  his  later 
years  a  devoted  tiller  of  the  soil,  and  pleaded  a 
desire  to  see  some  late  roses  which  were  just  now 
in  bloom.  So  he  and  Nan  went  down  the  walk 
together,  and  he  fidgeted  and  hurried  about  for 


ASHORE  AND  AFLOAT.  315 

a  few  minutes  before  he  could  make  up  his  mind 
to  begin  a  speech  which  was  weighing  heavily  on 
his  conscience. 

Nan  was  sure  that  something  unusual  was  per 
plexing  him,  and  answered  his  unnecessary  ques 
tions  patiently,  wondering  what  he  was  trying  to 
say. 

k'  Dear  me  ! "  he  grumbled  at  last,  "  I  shall  have 
to  steer  a  straight  course.  The  truth  is,  Nancy 
has  been  telling  me  that  I  ought  to  advise  with 
you,  and  see  that  you  understand  what  you  are 
about  with  young  Gerry.  She  has  set  her  heart 
on  your  fancying  him.  I  dare  say  you  know  she 
has  treated  him  like  a  son  all  through  his  grow 
ing  up ;  but  now  that  you  have  come  to  your 
rightful  place,  she  can't  bear  to  have  anybody 
hint  at  your  going  back  to  the  other  people.  'T  is 
plain  enough  what  he  thinks  about  it,  and  I 
must  say  I  believe  it  would  be  for  your  good. 
Here  you  are  with  your  father's  family,  what  is 
left  of  it ;  and  I  take  no  liberty  when  I  tell  you 
that  your  aunt  desires  this  to  be  your  home,  and 
means  to  give  you  your  father's  share  of  the  prop 
erty  now  and  the  rest  when  she  is  done  with  it. 
It  is  no  more  than  your  rights,  and  I  know  as 
much  as  anybody  about  it,  and  can  tell  you  that 
there  's  a  handsomer  fortune  than  you  may  have 
suspected.  Money  grows  fast  if  it  is  let  alone  ; 
and  though  your  aunt  has  done  a  good  deal  for 
others,  her  expenses  have  been  well  held  in  hand, 
1  must  say  I  should  like  to  keep  you  here,  child,'' 


316  A    COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

the  captain  faltered,  "  but  I  shall  want  to  do 
what's  for  your  happiness.  I  could  n't  feel  more 
earnest  about  that  if  I  were  your  own  father. 
You  must  think  it  over.  I  'm  not  going  to  be 
seech  you  :  I  learned  long  ago  that  't  is  no  use  to 
drive  a  Prince." 

Nan  had  tried  at  first  to  look  unconcerned  and 
treat  the  matter  lightly,  but  this  straightforward 
talk  appealed  to  her  much  more  than  the  sugges 
tion  and  general  advice  which  Miss  Prince  had 
implored  the  captain  to  give  the  night  before. 
And  now  her  niece  could  only  thank  him  for  his 
kindness,  and  tell  him  that  by  and  by  she  would 
make  him  understand  why  she  put  aside  these 
reasons,  and  went  back  to  the  life  she  had  known 
before. 

But  a  sudden  inspiration  made  her  resolution 
grow  stronger,  and  she  looked  at  Captain  Parish 
with  a  convincing  bravery. 

"  When  you  followed  the  sea,"  she  said  quickly, 
"  if  you  had  a  good  ship  with  a  freight  that  you 
had  gathered  with  great  care  and  hopefulness,  and 
had  brought  it  almost  to  the  market  that  it  was 
suited  for,  would  you  have  been  persuaded  to  turn 
about  and  take  it  to  some  place  where  it  would  be 
next  to  useless  ?  " 

"  No,"  said  Captain  Parish,  "  no,  I  should  n't," 
and  he  half  smiled  at  this  illustration. 

"  I  can't  tell  you  all  my  reasons  for  not  wishing 
to  marry,"  Nan  went  on,  growing  very  white  and 
determined,  "  or  all  my  reasons  for  wishing  to  go 


ASHORE  AND  AFLOAT.  317 

on  with  my  plan  of  being  a  doctor ;  but  I  know 
I  have  no  right  to  the  one  way  of  life,  and  a  per 
fect  one,  so  far  as  I  can  see,  to  the  other.  And 
it  seems  to  me  that  it  would  be  as  sensible  to  ask 
Mr.  Gerry  to  be  a  minister  since  he  has  just  fin 
ished  his  law  studies,  as  to  ask  me  to  be  a  wife 
instead  of  a  physician.  But  what  I  used  to  dread 
without  reason  a  few  years  ago,  I  must  forbid  my 
self  now,  because  I  know  the  wretched  inheritance 
I  might  have  had  from  my  poor  mother's  people. 
I  can't  speak  of  that  to  Aunt  Nancy,  but  you 
must  tell  her  not  to  try  to  make  me  change  my 
mind." 

"  Good  God  !  "  said  the  captain.  "  I  dare  say 
you  have  the  right  points  of  it ;  but  if  I  were  a 
young  man  't  would  go  hard  with  me  to  let  you 
take  your  life  into  your  own  hands.  It 's  against 
nature." 

" No,"  said  Nan.  "The  law  of  right  and  wrong 
must  rule  even  love,  and  whatever  comes  to  me, 
I  must  not  forget  that.  Three  years  ago  I  had 
not  thought  about  it  so  much,  and  I  might  not 
have  been  so  sure;  but  now  I  have  been  taught 
there  is  only  one  road  to  take.  And  you  must  tell 
Aunt  Nancy  this." 

But  when  they  went  back  to  the  house,  Miss 
Prince  was  not  to  be  seen,  and  the  captain  hurried 
away  lest  she  should  make  her  appearance,  for  he 
did  not  wish  just  then  to  talk  about  the  matter 
any  more.  He  told  himself  that  young  people 
were  very  different  in  these  days ;  but  when  he 


318  A    COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

thought  of  the  words  he  had  heard  in  the  garden, 
and  remembered  the  pale  face  and  the  steadfast, 
clear-toned  voice,  he  brushed  away  something  like 
a  tear.  "  If  more  people  used  judgment  in  this 
same  decision  the  world  would  be  better  off,"  he 
said,  and  could  not  help  reminding  himself  that 
his  own  niece,  little  Mary  Parish,  who  was  wear 
ing  a  wistful  countenance  in  these  days,  might  by 
and  by  be  happy  after  all.  For  Nan's  part  it  was 
a  great  relief  to  have  spoken  to  the  kind  old  man ; 
she  felt  more  secure  than  before ;  but  sometimes 
the  fear  assailed  her  that  some  unforeseen  event 
or  unreckoned  influence  might  give  her  back  to 
her  indecisions,  and  that  the  battle  of  the  night 
before  might  after  all  prove  not  to  be  final. 

The  afternoon  wore  away,  and  late  in  the  day 
our  heroine  heard  George  Gerry's  step  coming 
up  the  street.  She  listened  as  she  sat  by  the 
upper  window,  and  found  that  he  was  giving  a 
message  for  her.  It  was  perfect  weather  to  go 
up  the  river,  he  was  saying;  the  tide  served  just 
right  and  would  bring  them  home  early  ;  and  Miss 
Prince,  who  was  alone  in  the  parlor,  answered 
with  pleased  assurance  that  she  was  sure  her  niece 
would  like  to  go.  "  Yes,"  said  Nan,  calling  from 
the  window,  urged  by  a  sudden  impulse.  u  Yes 
indeed,  I  should  like  it  above  all  things;  I  will  get 
ready  at  once;  will  you  carry  two  pairs  of  oars?" 

There  was  a  ready  assent,  but  the  uncertainty 
of  the  tone  of  it  struck  Anna  Prince's  quick  ear 


ASHORE  AND  AFLOAT.  319 

She  seemed  to  know  that  the  young  man  and  her 
aunt  were  exchanging  looks  of  surprise,  and  that 
they  felt  insecure  and  uncertain.  It  was  not  the 
yielding  maiden  who  had  spoken  to  her  lover,  but 
the  girl  who  was  his  good  comrade  and  cordial 
friend.  The  elder  woman  shook  her  head  doubt 
fully  ;  she  knew  well  what  this  foreboded,  and  was 
impatient  at  the  overthrow  of  her  plans;  yet  she 
had  full  confidence  in  the  power  of  Love.  She  had 
seen  apparent  self-reliance  before,  and  she  could 
not  believe  that  her  niece  was  invincible.  At  any 
rate  nothing  could  be  more  persuasive  than  a  twi 
light  row  upon  the  river,  and  for  her  part,  she 
hoped  more  eagerly  than  ever  that  Love  would 
return  chief  in  command  of  the  boat's  young  crew ; 
and  when  the  young  man  flushed  a  little,  and 
looked  at  her  appealingly,  as  he  turned  to  go  down 
the  street,  his  friend  and  counselor  could  not  resist 
giving  him  a  hopeful  nod.  Nan  was  singularly 
frank,  and  free  from  affectations,  and  she  might 
have  already  decided  to  lower  her  colors  and  yield 
the  victory,  and  it  seemed  for  a  moment  that  it 
would  be  much  more  like  her  to  do  so,  than  to 
invite  further  contest  when  she  was  already  won. 
Miss  Prince  was  very  kind  and  sympathetic  when 
this  explanation  had  once  forced  itself  upon  her 
mind  ;  she  gave  the  young  girl  a  most  affectionate 
kiss  when  she  appeared,  but  at  this  unmistakable 
suggestion  of  pleasure  and  treasured  hopes,  Nan 
turned  back  suddenly  into  the  shaded  parlor, 
though  Mr.  Gerry  was  waiting  outside  with  hia 


320  A    COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

favorite  oars,  which  he  kept  carefully  in  a  corner 
of  the  office. 

"  Dear  Aunt  Nancy,"  said  the  girl,  with  evident 
effort,  "  I  am  so  sorry  to  disappoint  you.  I  wish 
for  your  sake  that  I  had  been  another  sort  of  wo 
man  ;  but  I  shall  never  marry.  I  know  you  think 
I  am  wrong,  but  there  is  something  which  always 
tells  me  I  am  right,  and  I  must  follow  another 
way.  I  should  only  wreck  my  life,  and  other  peo 
ple's.  Most  girls  have  an  instinct  towards  marry 
ing,  but  mine  is  all  against  it,  and  God  knew  best 
when  He  made  me  care  more  for  another  fashion 
of  life.  Don't  make  me  seem  unkind  !  I  dare  say 
that  I  can  put  it  all  into  words  better  by  and  by, 
but  I  can  never  be  more  certain  of  it  in  my  own 
heart  than  now." 

"  Sit  down  a  minute,"  said  Miss  Prince,  slowly. 
"  George  can  wait.  But,  Anna,  I  believe  that  you 
are  in  love  with  him,  and  that  you  are  doing 
wrong  to  the  poor  lad,  and  to  yourself,  and  to  me. 
I  lost  the  best  happiness  of  my  life  for  a  whim, 
and  you  wish  to  throw  away  yours  for  a  theory. 
I  hope  you  will  be  guided  by  me.  I  have  come 
to  love  you  very  much,  and  it  seems  as  if  this 
would  be  so  reasonable." 

u  It  does  make  a  difference  to  me  that  he  loves 
me,"  confessed  the  girl.  "  It  is  not  easy  to  turn 
away  from  him,"  she  said,  —  still  standing,  and 
looking  taller  than  ever,  and  even  thin,  with  a 
curious  tenseness  of  her  whole  being.  "  It  is 
something  that  I  have  found  it  hard  to  fight 


ASHORE  AND  AFLOAT.  321 

against,  but  it  is  not  my  whole  self  longing  for  big 
love  and  his  companionship.  If  I  heard  he  had 
gone  to  the  other  side  of  the  world  for  years  and 
years,  I  should  be  glad  now  and  not  sorry.  I 
know  that  all  the  world's  sympathy  and  all  tradi 
tion  fight  on  his  side ;  but  I  can  look  forward  and 
see  something  a  thousand  times  better  than  being 
his  wife,  and  living  here  in  Dunport  keeping  his 
house,  and  trying  to  forget  all  that  nature  fitted 
me  to  do.  You  don't  understand,  Aunt  Nancy.  I 
wish  you  could  !  You  see  it  all  another  way." 
And  the  tears  started  to  the  eager  young  eyes. 
"  Don't  you  know  that  Cousin  Walter  said  this 
very  day  that  the  wind  which  sets  one  vessel  on 
the  right  course  may  set  another  on  the  wrong?" 
"  Nonsense,  my  dear,"  said  the  mistress  of  the 
house.  "  I  don't  think  this  is  the  proper  time  for 
you  to  explain  yourself  at  any  rate.  I  dare  say 
the  fresh  air  will  do  you  good  and  put  everything 
right  too.  You  have  worked  yourself  into  a  gre*it 
excitement  over  nothing.  Don't  go  out  looking 
so  desperate  to  the  poor  fellow ;  he  will  think 
strangely  of  it ;  "  and  the  girl  went  out  through 
the  wide  hall,  and  wished  she  were  far  away  from 
all  this  trouble. 

Nan  Jiad  felt  a  strange  sense  of  weariness,  which 
did  not  leave  her  even  when  she  was  quieted  by 
the  fresh  breeze  of  the  river-shore,  and  was  con 
tented  to  let  her  oars  be  stowed  in  the  bottom  of 
the  boat,  and  to  take  the  comfortable  seat  in  the 


822  A   COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

stern.  She  pulled  the  tiller  ropes  over  her  shoul 
ders,  and  watched  her  lover's  first  strong  strokes, 
which  had  quickly  sent  them  out  into  the  stream , 
beyond  the -course  of  a  larger  craft  which  was 
coming  toward  the  wharf.  She  wished  presently 
that  she  had  chosen  to  row,  because  they  would 
not  then  be  face  to  face ;  but,  strange  to  say,  since 
this  new  experience  had  come  to  her,  she  had  not 
felt  so  sure  of  herself  as  now,  and  the  fear  of  find 
ing  herself  too  weak  to  oppose  the  new  tendency 
of  her  life  had  lessened  since  her  first  recognition 
of  ifc  the  night  before.  But  Nan  had  fought  a 
hard  fight,  and  had  grown  a  great  deal  older  in 
those  hours  of  the  day  and  night.  She  believed 
that  time  would  make  her  even  more  certain  that 
she  had  done  right  than  she  could  be  now  in  the 
heat  of  the  battle,  but  she  wished  whatever  George 
Gerry  meant  to  say  to  her  might  be  soon  over 
with. 

They  went  slowly  up  the  river,  which  was  now 
quite  familiar  to  the  girl  who  had  come  to  it  a 
stranger  only  a  few  weeks  before.  She  liked  out- 
of-door  life  so  well  that  this  country-side  of  Dun- 
port  was  already  more  dear  to  her  than  to  many 
who  had  seen  it  bloom  and  fade  every  year  since 
they  could  remember.  At  one  moment  it  seemed 
but  yesterday  that  she  had  come  to  the  old  town, 
and  at  the  next  she  felt  as  if  she  had  spent  half  a 
lifetime  there,  and  as  if  Oldfields  might  have 
changed  unbearably  since  she  came  away. 

Sometimes  the  young  oarsman  kept  in  the  mid 


ASHORE  AND  AFLOAT.  323 

die  of  the  great  stream,  and  sometimes  it  seemed 
pleasanter  to  be  near  the  shore.  The  midsum 
mer  flowers  were  coming  into  blossom,  and  the 
grass  and  trees  had  long  since  lost  the  brilliance 
of  their  greenness,  and  wore  a  look  of  maturity 
and  completion,  as  if  they  had  already  finished 
their  growth.  There  was  a  beautiful  softness  and 
harmony  of  color,  a  repose  that  one  never  sees  in 
an  spring  landscape.  The  tide  was  in,  the  sun 
was  almost  down,  and  a  great,  cloudless,  infinite 
sky  arched  itself  from  horizon  to  horizon.  It  had 
sent  all  its  brilliance  to  shine  backward  from  the 
sun,  —  the  glowing  sphere  from  which  a  single 
dazzling  ray  came  across  the  fields  and  the  water 
to  the  boat.  In  a  moment  more  it  was  gone,  and 
a  shadow  quickly  fell  like  that  of  a  tropical  twi 
light  ;  but  the  west  grew  golden,  and  one  light 
cloud,  like  a  floating  red  feather,  faded  away  up 
ward  into  the  sky.  A  later  bright  glow  touched 
some  high  hills  in  the  east,  then  they  grew  purple 
and  gray,  and  so  the  evening  came  that  way 
slowly,  and  the  ripple  of  the  water  plashed  and 
sobbed  against  the  boat's  side ;  and  presently  in 
the  midst  of  the  river's  inland  bay,  after  a  few 
last  eager  strokes,  the  young  man  drew  in  his 
oars,  letting  them  drop  with  a  noise  which  startled 
Nan,  who  had  happened  to  be  looking  over  her 
shoulder  at  the  shore. 

She  knew  well  enough  that  he  meant  to  put  a 
grave  question  to  her  now,  and  her  heart  beat 
faster  and  she  twisted  the  tiller  cords  around  her 
bands  unconsciously. 


324  A   COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

"  I  think  I  could  break  any  bonds  you  might 
use  to  keep  yourself  away  from  me,"  he  said  hur 
riedly,  as  he  watched  her.  u  I  am  not  fit  for  you, 
only  that  I  love  you.  Somebody  told  me  you 
meant  to  go  away,  and  I  could  not  wait  any 
longer  before  I  asked  you  if  you  would  give  your 
self  to  me." 

"  No,  no  !  "  cried  Nan,  "  dear  friend,  I  must  not 
do  it ;  it  would  all  be  a  mistake.  You  must  no^t 
think  of  it  any  more.  I  am  so  sorry,  I  ought  to 
have  understood  what  was  coming  to  us,  and  have 
gone  away  long  ago." 

"  It  would  have  made  no  difference,"  said  the 
young  man,  almost  angrily.  He  could  not  bear 
delay  enough  even  for  speech  at  that  moment ;  he 
watched  her  face  desperately  for  a  look  of  assur 
ance  ;  he  leaned  toward  her  and  wondered  why  he 
had  not  risked  everything,  and  spoken  the  even 
ing  before  when  they  stood  watching  the  ship's 
mast,  and  Nan's  hands  were  close  enough  to  be 
touched.  But  the  miserable  knowledge  crept 
over  him  that  she  was  a  great  deal  farther  away 
from  him  than  half  that  small  boat's  length,  and 
as  she  looked  up  at  him  again,  and  shook  her 
head  gently,  a  great  rage  of  love  and  shame  at 
his  repulse  urged  him  to  plead  again.  "  You  are 
spoiling  my  life,"  he  cried.  "  You  do  not  care 
for  that,  but  without  you  I  shall  not  care  for  any 
thing." 

44 1  would  rather  spoil  your  life  in  this  way 
than  in  a  far  worse  fashion,"  said  Nan  sadly.  "  I 


ASHORE  AND  AFLOAT.  325 

will  always  be  your  friend,  but  if  I  married  you 
I  might  seem  by  and  by  to  be  your  enemy.  Yes, 
you  will  love  somebody  else  some  day,  and  be  a 
great  deal  happier  than  I  could  have  made  you, 
and  I  shall  be  so  glad.  It  does  not  belong  to 
mo." 

But  this  seemed  too  scornful  and  cold-hearted. 
"  Oh,  my  love  is  only  worth  that  to  you,"  the 
lover  said.  "  You  shall  know  better  what  it 
means.  I  don't  want  you  for  my  friend,  but  for 
my  own  to  keep  and  to  have.  It  makes  me  laugh 
to  think  of  your  being  a  doctor  and  going  back  to 
that  country  town  to  throw  yourself  away  for  the 
fancies  and  silly  theories  of  a  man  who  has  lived 
like  a  hermit.  It  means  a  true  life  for  both  of  us 
if  you  will  only  say  you  love  me,  or  even  let  me 
ask  you  again  when  you  have  thought  of  it  more. 
Everybody  will  say  I  am  in  the  right." 

"  Yes,  there  are  reasons  enough  for  it,  but  there 
is  a  better  reason  against  it.  If  vou  love  me  you 
must  help  me  do  what  is  best,"  said  Nan.  "  I 
shall  miss  you  and  think  of  you  more  than  you 
know  when  I  am  away.  I  never  shall  forget  all 
these  pleasant  days  we  have  been  together.  Oil 
George  ! "  she  cried,  in  a  tone  that  thrilled  him 
through  and  through,  "  I  hope  you  will  be  friends 
with  me  again  by  and  by.  You  will  know  then  I 
have  done  right  because  it  is  right  and  will  prove 
itself.  If  it  is  wrong  for  me  I  could  n't  really 
make  you  happy ;  and  over  all  this  and  beyond  it 
something  promises  me  and  calls  me  for  a  life 


326  A    COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

that  my  marrying  you  would  hinder  and  not  help, 
It  is  n't  that  I  should  n't  be  so  happy  that  it  is 
not  easy  to  turn  away  even  from  the  thought  of 
it ;  but  I  know  that  the  days  would  come  when  I 
should  see,  in  a  way  that  would  make  me  long 
to  die,  that  I  had  lost  the  true  direction  of  my  life 
and  had  misled  others  beside  myself.  You  don't 
believe  me,  but  I  cannot  break  faith  with  my 
duty.  There  are  many  reasons  that  have  forbid 
den  me  to  marry,  and  I  have  a  certainty  as  sure 
as  the  stars  that  the  only  right  condition  of  life 
for  me  is  to  follow  the  way  that  everything  until 
now  has  pointed  out.  The  great  gain  and  pur 
pose  of  my  being  alive  is  there ;  and  I  must  not 
mind  the  blessings  that  I  shall  have  to  do  with 
out." 

He  made  a  gesture  of  impatience  and  tried  to 
interrupt  her,  but  she  said  quickly,  as  if  to  pre 
vent  his  speaking :  "  Listen  to  me.  I  can't  help 
speaking  plainly.  I  would  not  have  come  with 
you  this  afternoon,  only  I  wished  to  make  you 
understand  me  entirely.  I  have  never  since  I 
can  remember  thought  of  myself  and  my  life  in 
anyway  but  unmarried, — going  °n  alone  to  the 
work  I  am  fit  to  do.  I  do  care  for  you.  I  have 
been  greatly  surprised  and  shaken  because  I  found 
how  strongly  something  in  me  has  taken  your 
part,  and  shown  me  the  possibility  of  happiness  in 
a  quiet  life  that  should  centre  itself  in  one  man's 
love,  and  within  the  walls  of  his  home.  But 
something  tells  me  all  the  time  that  I  could  not 


ASHORE  AND  AFLOAT.  827 

marry  the  whole  of  myself  as  most  women  can ; 
there  is  a  great  share  of  my  life  which  could  not 
have  its  way,  and  could  only  hide  itself  and 
he  sorry.  I  know  better  and  better  that  most 
women  are  made  for  another  sort  of  existence, 
hut  by  and  by  I  must  do  my  part  in  my  own 
way  to  make  many  homes  happy  instead  of  one  ; 
to  free  them  from  pain,  and  teach  grown  people 
and  little  children  to  keep  their  bodies  free  from 
weakness  and  deformities.  I  don't  know  why 
God  should  have  made  me  a  doctor,  so  many 
other  things  have  seemed  fitter  for  women ;  but 
I  see  the  blessedness  of  such  a  useful  life  more 
and  more  every  year,  and  I  am  very  thankful  for 
such  a  trust.  It  is  a  splendid  thing  to  have  the 
use  of  any  gift  of  God.  It  is  n't  for  us  to  choose 
again,  or  wonder  and  dispute,  but  just  work  in 
our  own  places,  and  leave  the  rest  to  God." 

The  boat  was  being  carried  downward  by  the 
ebbing  tide,  and  George  Gerry  took  the  oars 
again,  and  rowed  quietly  and  in  silence.  He 
took  his  defeat  unkindly  and  drearily ;  he  was 
ashamed  of  himself  once,  because  some  evil  spirit 
told  him  that  he  was  losing  much  that  would  con 
tent  him,  in  failing  to  gain  this  woman's  love.  It 
had  all  been  so  fair  a  prospect  of  worldly  success, 
and  she  had  been  the  queen  of  it.  He  thought  of 
himself  growing  old  in  Mr.  Sergeant's  dusty  of 
fice,  and  that  this  was  all  that  life  could  hold  for 
him.  Yet  to  be  was  better  than  to  have.  Alas ! 
if  he  had  been  more  earnest  in  his  growth,  it 


328  A   COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

would  have  been  a  power  which  this  girl  of  high 
ideals  could  have  been  held  and  mastered  by.  No 
wonder  that  she  would  not  give  up  her  dreams  of 
duty  and  service,  since  she  had  found  him  less 
strong  than  such  ideals.  The  fancied  dissatisfac 
tion  and  piteousness  of  failure  which  she  would  be 
sure  to  meet  filled  his  heart  with  dismay  ;  yet,  at 
that  very  next  moment,  resent  it  as  he  might,  the 
certainty  of  his  own  present  defeat  and  powerless- 
ness  could  not  be  misunderstood.  Perhaps,  after 
all,  she  knew  what  was  right ;  her  face  wore  again 
the  look  he  had  feared  to  disturb  the  night  be 
fore,  and  his  whole  soul  was  filled  with  homage  in 
the  midst  of  its  sorrow,  because  this  girl,  who  had 
been  his  merry  companion  in  the  summer  holi 
days,  so  sweet  and  familiar  and  unforgetable  in 
the  midst  of  the  simple  festivals,  stood  nearer  to 
holier  things  than  himself,  and  had  listened  to 
the  call  of  God's  messengers  to  whom  his  own 
doors  had  been  ignorantly  shut.  And  Nan  that 
night  was  a  soul's  physician,  though  she  had 
been  made  to  sorely  hurt  her  patient  before  the 
new  healthfulness  could  well  begin. 

They  floated  down  the  river  and  tried  to  talk 
once  or  twice,  but  there  were  many  spaces  of 
silence,  and  as  they  walked  along  the  paved 
streets,  they  thought  of  many  things.  An  east 
wind  was  blowing  in  from  the  sea,  and  the  elm 
branches  were  moving  restlessly  overhead.  "  It 
will  all  be  better  to-morrow,"  said  Nan,  as  they 
stood  on  the  steps  at  last.  "  You  must  come  to 


ASHORE  AND  AFLOAT.  329 

see  Aunt  Nancy  very  often  after  I  have  gone,  for 
she  will  be  lonely.  And  do  come  in  the  morn 
ing  as  if  nothing  had  been  spoken.  I  am  so 
sorry.  Good  -  night,  and  God  bless  you,"  she 
whispered ;  and  when  she  stood  inside  the  wide 
doorway,  in  the  dark,  she  listened  to  his  footsteps 
MS  he  went  away  down  the  street.  They  were 
slower  than  usual,  but  she  did  not  call  him  back. 


XXL 

AT  HOME  AGAIN. 

IN  Oldfields  Dr.  Leslie  had  outwardly  lived 
the  familiar  life  to  which  his  friends  and  patients 
had  long  since  accustomed  themselves ;  he  had 
seemed  a  little  preoccupied,  perhaps,  but  if  that 
were  observed,  it  was  easily  explained  by  his  hav 
ing  one  or  two  difficult  cases  to  think  about.  A 
few  persons  suspected  that  he  missed  Nan,  and  was, 
perhaps,  a  little  anxious  lest  her  father's  people 
in  Dunport  should  claim  her  altogether.  Among 
those  who  knew  best  the  doctor  and  his  ward 
there  had  been  an  ardent  championship  of  Nan's 
rights  and  dignity,  and  a  great  curiosity  to  know 
the  success  of  the  visit.  Dr.  Leslie  had  answered 
all  questions  with  composure,  and  with  a  distress 
ing  meagreness  of  details ;  but  at  length  Mrs. 
Graham  became  sure  that  he  was  not  altogether 
free  from  anxiety,  and  set  her  own  quick  wits 
at  work  to  learn  the  cause.  It  seemed  a  time 
of  great  uncertainty,  at  any  rate.  The  doctor 
sometimes  brought  one  of  Nan's  bright,  affec 
tionate  letters  for  his  neighbor  to  read,  and  they 
agreed  that  this  holiday  was  an  excellent  thing 
for  her,  but  there  was  a  silent  recognition  of  the 


AT  HOME  AGAIN.  331 

fact  that  this  was  a  critical  time  in  the  young 
girl's  history  ;  that  it  either  meant  a  new  direc 
tion  of  her  life  or  an  increased  activity  in  the  old 
one.  Mrs.  Graham  was  less  well  than  usual  in 
these  days,  and  the  doctor  found  time  to  make 
more  frequent  visits  than  ever,  telling  himself 
that  she  missed  Nan's  pleasant  companionship, 
but  really  wishing  as  much  to  receive  sympathy 
as  to  give  it.  The  dear  old  lady  had  laughingly 
disclaimed  any  desire  to  summon  her  children 
or  grandchildren,  saying  that  she  was  neither  ill 
enough  to  need  them,  nor  well  enough  to  enjoy 
them  ;  and  so  in  the  beautiful  June  weather  the 
two  old  friends  became  strangely  dear  to  each 
other,  and  had  many  a  long  talk  which  the  cares 
of  the  world  or  their  own  reserve  had  made  them 
save  until  this  favoring  season. 

The  doctor  was  acknowledged  to  be  an  old 
man  at  last,  though  everybody  still  insisted  that 
lie  looked  younger  than  his  age,  and  could  not 
doubt  that  he  had  half  a  lifetime  of  usefulness 
before  him  yet.  But  it  makes  a  great  difference 
when  one's  ambitions  are  transferred  from  one's 
own  life  to  that  of  a  younger  person's ;  and  while 
Dr.  Leslie  grew  less  careful  for  himself,  trusting 
to  the  unconscious  certainty  of  his  practiced  skill, 
he  pondered  eagerly  over  Nan's  future,  remind 
ing  himself  of  various  hints  and  suggestions,  which 
must  be  added  to  her  equipment.  Sometimes  he 
wished  that  she  were  beginning  a  few  years  later, 
when  her  position  could  be  better  recognized  and 


332  A   COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

respected,  and  she  would  not  have  to  fight  against 
so  much  of  the  opposition  and  petty  fault-finding 
that  come  from  ignorance;  and  sometimes  he  re 
joiced  that  his  little  girl,  as  he  fondly  called  her, 
would  be  one  of  the  earlier  proofs  and  examples 
of  a  certain  noble  advance  and  new  vantage- 
ground  of  civilization.  This  has  been  anticipated 
through  all  ages  by  the  women  who,  sometimes 
honored  and  sometimes  persecuted,  have  been 
drawn  away  from  home  life  by  a  devotion  to  pub 
lic  and  social  usefulness.  It  must  be  recognized 
that  certain  qualities  are  required  for  married, 
and  even  domestic  life,  which  all  women  do  not 
possess  ;  but  instead  of  attributing  this  to  the  dis 
integration  of  society,  it  must  be  acknowledged  to 
belong  to  its  progress. 

So  long  as  the  visit  in  Dunport  seemed  to  ful 
fill  its  anticipated  purpose,  and  the  happy  guest 
was  throwing  aside  her  cares  and  enjoying  the 
merry  holiday  and  the  excitement  of  new  friend 
ships  and  of  her  uncommon  position,  so  long 
the  doctor  had  been  glad,  and  far  from  impatient 
to  have  the  visit  end.  But  when  he  read  the 
later  and  shorter  letters  again  and  again  in  the 
vain  hope  of  finding  something  in  their  wording 
which  should  explain  the  vague  unhappiness 
which  had  come  to  him  as  he  had  read  them  first, 
he  began  to  feel  troubled  and  dismayed.  There 
was  something  which  Nan  had  not  explained  ; 
something  was  going  wrong.  He  was  sure  that 
if  it  were  anything  he  could  set  right,  that  she 


AT  HOME  AGAIN.  333 

would  have  told  him.  She  bad  always  done  so  ; 
but  it  became  evident  through  the  strange  sym 
pathy  which  made  him  conscious  of  the  mood  of 
others  that  she  was  bent  upon  fighting  her  way 
alone. 

It  was  a  matter  of  surprise,  and  almost  of  dis 
may  to  him  early  one  morning,  when  he  received 
a  brief  note  from  her  which  told  him  only  that 
she  should  be  at  home  late  that  afternoon.  It 
seemed  to  the  wise  old  doctor  a  day  of  most  dis 
tressing  uncertainty.  He  tried  to  make  up  his 
mind  to  accept  with  true  philosophy  whatever 
decision  she  was  bringing  him.  u  Nan  is  a  good 
girl,"  he  told  himself  over  and  over  again  ;  "  she 
will  try  to  do  right."  But  she  was  so  young  and 
so  generous,  and  whether  she  had  been  implored 
to  break  the  old  ties  of  home  life  and  affection 
for  her  aunt's  sake,  or  whether  it  was  a  newer 
and  stronger  influence  still  which  had  prevailed, 
waited  for  explanation.  Alas,  as  was  written 
once,  it  is  often  the  higher  nature  that  yields,  be 
cause  it  is  the  most  generous.  The  doctor  knew 
well  enough  the  young  girl's  character.  He  knew 
what  promises  of  growth  and  uncommon  achieve 
ment  were  all  ready  to  unfold  themselves,  —  for 
what  great  uses  she  was  made.  He  could  not 
bear  the  thought  of  her  being  handicapped  in  the 
race  she  had  been  set  to  run.  Yet  no  one  recog 
nized  more  clearly  than  he  the  unseen,  and  too 
often  unconsidered,  factor  which  is  peculiar  to 
each  soul,  which  prevents  any  other  intelligence 


334  A   COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

from  putting  itself  exactly  in  that  soul's  place,  so 
that  our  decisions  and  aids  and  suggestions  are 
never  wholly  sufficient  or  available  for  those  even 
whom  we  love  most.  He  went  over  the  question 
again  and  again  ;  he  followed  Nan  in  his  thoughts 
as  she  had  grown  up,  —  unprejudiced,  uncon 
strained  as  is  possible  for  any  human  being  to  be. 
He  remembered  that  her  heroes  were  the  great 
doctors,  and  that  her  whole  heart  had  been  stirred 
and  claimed  by  the  noble  duties  and  needs  of  the 
great  profession.  She  had  been  careless  of  the  so 
cial  limitations,  of  the  lack  of  sympathy,  even  of 
the  ridicule  of  the  public.  She  had  behaved  as 
a  bird  would  behave  if  it  were  assured  by  beasts 
and  fishes  that  to  walk  and  to  swim  were  the  only 
proper  and  respectable  means  of  getting  from 
place  to  place.  She  had  shown  sucli  rare  insight 
into  the  principles  of  things ;  she  had  even  seemed 
to  him,  as  he  watched  her,  to  have  anticipated 
experience,  and  he  could  not  help  believing  that 
it  was  within  her  power  to  add  much  to  the 
too  small  fund  of  certainty,  by  the  sure  instinct 
and  aim  of  her  experiment.  It  counted  nothing 
whether  God  had  put  this  soul  into  a  man's  body 
or  a  woman's.  He  had  known  best,  and  He  meant 
it  to  be  the  teller  of  new  truth,  a  revealer  of  laws, 
and  an  influence  for  good  in  its  capacity  for  teach 
ing,  as  well  as  in  its  example  of  pure  and  reason 
able  life. 

But  the  old  doctor  sighed,  and  told  himself  that 
the  girl  was  most  human,  most  affectionate;  it 


AT  HOME  AGAIN.  335 

was  not  impossible  that,  in  spite  of  her  apparent 
absence  of  certain  domestic  instincts,  they  had 
only  lain  dormant  and  were  now  awake.  He 
could  not  bear  that  she  should  lose  any  happiness 
which  might  be  hers ;  and  the  tender  memory  of 
the  blessed  companionship  which  had  been  with 
drawn  from  his  mortal  sight  only  to  be  given 
back  to  him  more  fully  as  he  had  lived  closer 
and  nearer  to  spiritual  things,  made  him  shrink 
from  forbidding  the  same  sort  of  fullness  and 
completion  of  life  to  one  so  dear  as  Nan.  He 
tried  to  assure  himself  that  while  a  man's  life 
is  strengthened  by  his  domestic  happiness,  a  wo 
man's  must  either  surrender  itself  wholly,  or  re 
linquish  entirely  the  claims  of  such  duties,  if  she 
would  achieve  distinction  or  satisfaction  elsewhere. 
The  two  cannot  be  taken  together  in  a  woman's 
life  as  in  a  man's.  One  must  be  made  of  lesser 
consequence,  though  the  very  natures  of  both  do 
mestic  and  professional  life  need  all  the  strength 
which  can  be  brought  to  them.  The  decision  be 
tween  them  he  knew  to  be  a  most  grave  respon 
sibility,  and  one  to  be  governed  by  the  gravest 
moral  obligations,  and  the  unmistakable  leadings 
of  the  personal  instincts  and  ambitions.  It  was 
seldom,  Dr.  Leslie  was  aware,  that  so  typical  and 
evident  an  example  as  this  could  offer  itself  of  the 
class  of  women  who  are  a  result  of  natural  pro 
gression  and  variation,  not  for  better  work,  but  for 
different  work,  and  who  are  designed  for  certain 
public  and  social  duties.  But  he  believed  this 


336  A   COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

class  to  be  one  that  must  inevitably  increase  with 
the  higher  developments  of  civilization,  and  in 
later  years,  which  he  might  never  see,  the  love 
for  humanity  would  be  recognized  and  employed 
more  intelligently;  while  now  almost  every  popu 
lar  prejudice  was  against  his  ward,  then  she  would 
need  no  vindication.  The  wielder  of  ideas  has 
always  a  certain  advantage  over  the  depender 
upon  facts ;  and  though  the  two  classes  of  minds 
by  no  means  inevitably  belong,  the  one  to  women, 
and  the  other  to  men,  still  women  have  not  yet 
begun  to  use  the  best  resources  of  their  natures, 
having  been  later  developed,  and  in  many  coun 
tries  but  recently  freed  from  restraining  and  hin 
dering  influences. 

The  preservation  of  the  race  is  no  longer  the 
only  important  question  ;  the  welfare  of  the  indi 
vidual  will  be  considered  more  and  more.  The 
simple  fact  that  there  is  a  majority  of  women  in 
any  centre  of  civilization  means  that  some  are  set 
apart  by  nature  for  other  uses  and  conditions  than 
marriage.  In  ancient  times  men  depended  en 
tirely  upon  the  women  of  their  households  to  pre 
pare  their  food  and  clothing,  —  and  almost  every 
man  in  ordinary  circumstances  of  life  was  forced 
to  marry  for  this  reason ;  but  already  there  is  a 
great  change.  The  greater  proportion  of  men 
and  women  everywhere  will  still  instinctively  and 
gladly  accept  the  high  duties  and  helps  of  mar 
ried  life  ;  but  as  society  becomes  more  intelligent 
it  will  recognize  the  fitness  of  some  persons,  and 


AT  HOME  AGAIN.  337 

the  unfitness  of  others,  making  it  impossible  for 
these  to  accept  such  responsibilities  and  obliga 
tions,  and  so  dignify  and  elevate  home  life  instead 
of  degrading  it. 

It  had  been  one  thing  to  act  from  conviction 
and  from  the  promptings  of  instinct  while  no  ob 
stacles  opposed  themselves  to  his  decisions,  and 
quite  another  thing  to  be  brought  face  to  face 
with  such  an  emergency.  Dr.  Leslie  wished  first 
to  be  able  to  distinctly  explain  to  himself  his  rea 
sons  for  the  opinions  he  held ;  he  knew  that  he 
must  judge  for  Nan  herself  in  some  measure  ;  she 
would  surely  appeal  to  him ;  she  would  bring 
this  great  question  to  him,  and  look  for  sym 
pathy  and  relief  in  the  same  way  she  had  tear 
fully  shown  him  a  wounded  finger  in  her  child 
hood.  He  seemed  to  see  again  the  entreating 
eyes,  made  large  with  the  pain  which  would  not 
show  itself  in  any  other  way,  and  he  felt  the  rare 
tears  fill  his  own  eyes  at  the  thought.  "  Poor  lit 
tle  Nan,"  he  said  to  himself,  "  she  has  been  hurt 
in  the  great  battle,  but  she  is  no  skulking  sol 
dier."  He  would  let  her  tell  her  story,  and  then 
give  her  the  best  help  he  could;  and  so  when 
the  afternoon  shadows  were  very  long  across  the 
country,  and  the  hot  summer  day  was  almost  done, 
the  doctor  drove  down  the  wide  street  and  along 
East  Road  to  the  railroad  station.  As  he  passed 
a  group  of  small  houses  he  looked  at  his  watch 
and  found  that  there  was  more  than  time  for  a 
second  visit  to  a  sick  child  whose  illness  had  been 

22 


338  A   COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

most  serious  and  perplexing  at  first,  though  now 
she  was  fast  recovering.  The  little  thing  smiled 
as  her  friend  came  in,  and  asked  if  the  young 
lady  were  coming  to-morrow,  for  Dr.  Leslie  had 
promised  a  visit  and  a  picture-book  from  Nan, 
whom  he  wished  to  see  and  understand  the  case. 
They  had  had  a  long  talk  upon  such  ailments  as 
this  just  before  she  went  away,  and  nothing  had 
seemed  to  rouse  her  ambition  so  greatly  as  her 
experiences  at  the  children's  hospitals  the  winter 
before.  Now,  this  weak  little  creature  seemed  to 
be  pleading  in  the  name  of  a  great  army  of  sick 
children,  that  Nan  would  not  desert  their  cause  ; 
that  she  would  go  on,  as  she  had  promised  them, 
with  her  search  for  ways  that  should  restore  their 
vigor  and  increase  their  fitness  to  take  up  the 
work  of  the  world.  And  yet,  a  home  and  chil 
dren  of  oneV  very  own,  —  the  doctor,  who  had 
held  and  lost  this  long  ago,  felt  powerless  to  de 
cide  the  future  of  the  young  heart  which  was  so 
dear  to  him. 

Nan  saw  the  familiar  old  horse  and  carriage 
waiting  behind  the  station,  and  did  not  fail  to 
notice  that  the  doctor  had  driven  to  meet  her 
himself.  He  almost  always  did,  but  her  very 
anxiety  to  see  him  again  had  made  her  doubtful. 
The  train  had  hardly  stopped  before  she  was 
standing  on  the  platform  and  had  hastily  dropped 
her  checks  into  the  hand  of  the  nearest  idle  boy, 
who  looked  at  them  doubtfully,  as  if  he  hardly 
dared  to  hope  that  he  had  been  mistaken  for  the 


AT  HOME  AGAIN.  339 

hackman.  She  came  quickly  to  the  side  of  the 
carriage ;  the  doctor  could  not  look  at  her,  for  the 
horse  had  made  believe  that  some  excitement  was 
necessary,  and  was  making  it  difficult  for  the 
welcome  passenger  to  put  her  foot  on  the  step.  It 
was  all  over  in  a  minute.  Nan  sprang  to  the 
doctor's  side  and  away  they  went  down  the  road. 
He  had  caught  a  glimpse  of  her  shining  eyes  and 
eager  face  as  she  had  hurried  toward  him,  and 
had  said,  "  Well  done !  "  in  a  most  cheerful  and 
every-day  fashion,  and  then  for  a  minute  there 
was  silence. 

"  Oh,  it  is  so  good  to  get  home,"  said  the  girl, 
and  her  companion  turned  toward  her ;  he  could 
not  wait  to  hear  her  story. 

"  Yes,"  said  Nan,  uit  is  just  as  well  to  tell  you 
now.  Do  you  remember  you  used  to  say  to  me 
when  I  was  a  little  girl,  '  If  you  know  your  duty, 
don't  mind  the  best  of  reasons  for  not  doing  it '  ?  " 
And  the  doctor  nodded.  "  I  never  thought  that 
this  reason  would  come  to  me  for  not  being  a 
doctor,"  she  went  on,  "  and  at  first  I  was  afraid 
I  should  be  conquered,  though  it  was  myself  who 
fought  myself.  But  it  came  to  me  clearer  than 
ever  after  a  while.  I  think  I  could  have  been 
fonder  of  some  one  than  most  people  are  of  those 
whom  they  marry,  but  the  more  I  cared  for  him 
the  less  I  could  give  him  only  part  of  myself; 
I  knew  that  was  not  right.  Now  that  I  can  look 
back  at  it  all  I  am  so  glad  to  have  had  those 
days;  I  shall  work  better  all  my  life  for  having 


340  A   COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

been  able  to  make  myself  so  perfectly  sure  that  I 
know  my  way." 

The  unconsidered  factor  had  asserted  itself  in 
the  doctor's  favor.  He  gave  the  reins  to  Nan  and 
leaned  back  in  the  carriage,  but  as  she  bent  for 
ward  to  speak  to  a  friend  whom  they  passed  she 
did  not  see  the  look  that  he  gave  her. 

"  I  am  sure  you  knew  what  was  right,"  he  said, 
hastily.  "  God  bless  you,  dear  child !  " 

Was  this  little  Nan,  who  had  been  his  play 
thing  ?  this  brave  young  creature,  to  whose  glori 
ous  future  all  his  heart  and  hopes  went  out.  In 
his  evening  it  was  her  morning,  and  he  prayed 
that  God's  angels  should  comfort  and  strengthen 
her  and  help  her  to  carry  the  burden  of  the  day. 
It  is  only  those  who  can  do  nothing  who  find 
nothing  to  do,  and  Nan  was  no  idler ;  she  had 
come  to  her  work  as  Christ  came  to  his,  not  to  be 
ministered  unto  but  to  minister. 

The  months  went  by  swiftly,  and  through  hard 
work  and  much  study,  and  many  sights  of  pain 
and  sorrow,  this  young  student  of  the  business  of 
healing  made  her  way  to  the  day  when  some  of 
her  companions  announced  with  melancholy  truth 
that  they  had  finished  their  studies.  They  were 
pretty  sure  to  be  accused  of  having  had  no  right 
to  begin  them,  or  to  take  such  trusts  and  respon 
sibilities  into  their  hands.  But  Nan  and  many  of 
her  friends  had  gladly  climbed  the  hill  so  far,  and 
with  every  year's  ascent  had  been  thankful  for 


AT  HOME  AGAIlSr.  341 

the  wider  horizon  which  was  spread  for  their 
eyes  to  see. 

Dr.  Leslie  in  his  quiet  study  almost  wished  that 
he  were  beginning  life  again,  and  sometimes  in 
the  twilight,  or  in  long  and  lonely  country  drives, 
believed  himself  ready  to  go  back  twenty  years 
so  that  he  could  follow  Nan  into  the  future  and 
watch  her  successes.  But  he  always  smiled  after 
ward  at  such  a  thought.  Twenty  years  would 
carry  him  back  to  the  time  when  his  ward  was  a 
little  child,  not  long  before  she  came  to  live  with 
him.  It  was  best  as  God  had  planned  it.  Nobody 
had  watched  the  child's  development  as  he  had 
done,  or  her  growth  of  character,  of  which  all  the 
performances  of  her  later  years  would  be  to  him 
only  the  unnecessary  proofs  and  evidences.  He 
knew  that  she  would  be  faithful  in  great  things, 
because  she  had  been  faithful  in  little  things,  and 
he  should  be  with  her  a  long  time  yet,  perhaps. 
God  only  knew. 

There  was  a  great  change  in  the  village  ;  there 
were  more  small  factories  now  which  employed 
large  numbers  of  young  women,  and  though  a 
new  doctor  had  long  ago  come  to  Oldfields  who 
had  begun  by  trying  to  supersede  Dr.  Leslie,  he 
had  ended  by  longing  to  show  his  gratitude  some 
day  for  so  much  help  and  kindness.  More  than 
one  appointment  had  been  offered  the  heroine  of 
this  story  in  the  city  hospitals.  She  would  have 
little  trouble  in  making  her  way  since  she  had  the 
requisite  qualities,  natural  and  acquired,  which  se- 


342  A    COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

cure  success.  But  she  decided  for  herself  that  she 
would  neither  do  this,  nor  carry  out  yet  the  other 
plan  of  going  on  with  her  studies  at  some  school 
across  the  sea.  Zurich  held  out  a  great  tempta 
tion,  but  there  was  time  enough  yet,  and  she  would 
spend  a  year  in  Oldfields  with  the  doctor,  study 
ing  again  with  him,  since  she  knew  better  than 
ever  before  that  she  could  find  no  wiser  teacher. 
And  it  was  a  great  pleasure  to  belong  to  the  dear 
old  town,  to  come  home  to  it  with  her  new  treas 
ures,  so  much  richer  than  she  had  gone  away  that 
beside  medicines  and  bandages  and  lessons  in  gen 
eral  hygiene  for  the  physical  ails  of  her  patients, 
she  could  often  be  a  tonic  to  the  mind  and  soul ; 
and  since  she  was  trying  to  be  good,  go  about  do 
ing  good  in  Christ's  name  to  the  halt  and  maimed 
and  blind  in  spiritual  things. 

Nobody  sees  people  as  they  are  and  finds  the 
chance  to  help  poor  humanity  as  a  doctor  does. 
The  decorations  and  deceptions  of  character  must 
fall  away  before  the  great  realities  of  pain  and 
death.  The  secrets  of  many  hearts  and  homes 
must  be  told  to  this  confessor,  and  sadder  ailments 
than  the  text-books  name  are  brought  to  be  healed 
by  the  beloved  physicians.  Teachers  of  truth  and 
givers  of  the  laws  of  life,  priests  and  ministers, — 
all  these  professions  are  joined  in  one  with  the 
gift  of  healing,  and  are  each  part  of  the  charge 
that  a  good  doctor  holds  in  his  keeping. 

One  day  in  the  beginning  of  her  year  at  Old- 


AT  HOME  AGAIN.  343 

fields,  Nan,  who  had  been  very  busy,  suddenly 
thought  it  would  be  well  to  give  herself  a  holiday  ; 
and  with  a  sudden  return  of  her  old  sense  of  free 
dom  was  going  out  at  the  door  and  down  toward 
the  gateway,  which  opened  to  a  pleasantly  wide 
world  beyond.  Marilla  had  taken  Nan's  successes 
rather  reluctantly,  and  never  hesitated  to  say 
that  she  only  hoped  to  see  her  well  married  and 
settled  before  she  died  ;  though  she  was  always 
ready  to  defend  her  course  with  even  virulence 
to  those  who  would  deprecate  it.  She  now  heard 
Nan  shut  the  door,  and  called  at  once  from  an  up 
per  window  to  know  if  word  had  been  left  where 
she  was  going,  and  the  young  practitioner  laughed 
aloud  as  she  answered,  and  properly  acknowledged 
the  fetter  of  her  calling. 

The  leaves  were  just  beginning  to  fall,  and  she 
pushed  them  about  with  her  feet,  and  sometimes 
walked  and  sometimes  ran  lightly  along  the  road 
toward  the  farm.  But  when  she  reached  it,  she 
passed  the  lane  and  went  on  to  the  Dyer  houses. 
Mrs.  Jake  was  ailing  as  usual,  and  Nan  had  told 
the  doctor  before  she  came  out  that  she  would  ven 
ture  another  professional  visit  in  his  stead.  She 
was  a  great  help  to  him  in  this  way,  for  his  calls 
to  distant  towns  had  increased  year  by  year,  and 
he  often  found  it  hard  to  keep  his  many  patients 
well  in  hand. 

The  old  houses  had  not  changed  much  since  she 
first  knew  them,  and  neither  they  nor  their  in 
mates  were  in  any  danger  of  being  forgotten  by 


344  A   COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

her ;  the  old  ties  of  affection  and  association  grew 
stronger  instead  of  weaker  every  year.  It  pleased 
and  amused  the  old  people  to  be  reminded  of  the 
days  when  Nan  was  a  child  and  lived  among  them, 
and  it  was  a  great  joy  to  her  to  be  able  to  make 
their  pain  and  discomfort  less,  and  be  their  inter 
preter  of  the  outside  world. 

It  was  a  most  lovely  day  of  our  heroine's  favor 
ite  weather.  It  has  been  said  that  November  is 
an  epitome  of  all  the  months  of  the  year,  but  for 
all  that,  no  other  season  can  show  anything  so 
beautiful  as  the  best  and  brightest  November 
days.  Nan  had  spent  her  summer  in  a  great  hos 
pital,  where  she  saw  few  flowers  save  human  ones, 
and  the  warmth  and  inspiration  of  this  clear  air 
seemed  most  delightful.  She  had  been  somewhat 
tempted  by  an  offer  of  a  fine  position  in  Canada, 
and  even  Dr.  Leslie  had  urged  her  acceptance, 
and  thought  it  an  uncommonly  good  chance  to 
have  the  best  hospital  experience  and  responsibil 
ity,  but  she  had  sent  the  letter  of  refusal  only 
that  morning.  She  could  not  tell  yet  what  her 
later  plans  might  be  ;  but  there  was  no  place  like 
Oldfields,  and  she  thought  she  had  never  loved  it 
so  dearly  as  that  afternoon. 

She  looked  in  at  Mrs.  Martin's  wide-open  door 
first,  but  finding  the  kitchen  empty,  went  quickly 
across  to  the  other  house,  where  Mrs.  Jake  was 
propped  up  in  her  rocking-chair  and  began  to 
groan  loudly  when  she  saw  Nan  ;  but  the  tonic 
of  so  gratifying  a  presence  soon  had  a  most  favor- 


AT  HOME  AGAIN.  345 

able  effect.  Benignant  Mrs.  Martin  was  knitting 
as  usual,  and  the  three  women  sat  together  in  a 
friendly  group  and  Nan  asked  and  answered  ques 
tions  most  cordially. 

44 1  declare  I  was  sort  of  put  out  with  the  doc 
tor  for  sending  you  down  here  day  before  yester 
day  instead  of  coming  himself,"  stated  Mrs.  Jake 
immediately,  "  but  I  do'  know  's  I  ever  had  any 
thing  do  me  so  much  good  as  that  bottle  you  gave 
me." 

"  Of  course  !  "  laughed  Nan.  "Dr.  Leslie  sent 
it  to  you  himself.  I  told  you  when  I  gave  it  to 
you." 

"  Well  now,  how  you  talk !  "  said  Mrs.  Jake,  a 
little  crestfallen.  "I  begin  to  find  my  hearing 
fails  me  by  spells.  But  I  was  bound  to  give  you 
the  credit,  for  all  I  've  stood  out  against  your 
meddling  with  a  doctor's  business." 

Nan  laughed  merrily.  "  I  am  going  to  steal 
you  for  my  patient,"  she  answered,  "  and  try  all 
the  prescriptions  on  your  case  first." 

"  Land,  if  you  cured  her  up  't  would  be  like 
stopping  the  leaks  in  a  basket,"  announced  Mrs. 
Martin  with  a  beaming  smile,  and  clicking  her 
knitting-needles  excitedly.  "  She  can't  hear  of  a 
complaint  anywheres  about  but  she  thinks  she 's 
got  the  mate  to  it." 

"  I  don't  seem  to  have  anything  fevery  about 
me,"  said  Mrs.  Jake,  with  an  air  of  patient  self-de 
nial  ;  and  though  both  her  companions  were  most 
compassionate  at  the  thought  of  her  real  suffer- 


346  A   COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

ings,  they  could  not  resist  the  least  bit  of  a  smile. 
"  I  declare  you  've  done  one  first-rate  thing,  if 
you  're  never  going  to  do  any  more,"  said  Mrs. 
Jake,  presently.  "  'Liza  here  's  been  talking  for 
some  time  past,  about  your  straightening  up  the 
little  boy's  back,  —  the  one  that  lives  down  where 
Mis'  Meeker  used  to  live  you  know,  —  but  I  did 
n't  seem  to  take  it  in  till  he  come  over  here  yis- 
terday  forenoon.  Looks  as  likely  as  any  child, 
except  it  may  be  he  's  a  little  stunted.  When  I 
think  how  he  used  to  creep  about  there,  side  of  the 
road,  like  a  hopper- toad,  it  does  seem  amazin' !  " 

Nan's  eyes  brightened.  "  I  have  been  delighted 
about  that.  I  saw  him  running  with  the  other 
children  as  I  came  down  the  road.  It  was  a  long 
bit  of  work,  though.  The  doctor  did  most  of  it ; 
I  did  n't  see  the  child  for  months,  you  know. 
But  he  needs  care  yet ;  I  'm  going  to  stop  and 
have  another  talk  with  his  mother  as  I  go  home." 

"  She  's  a  pore  shiftless  creature,"  Mrs.  Martin 
hastened  to  say.  "  There,  I  thought  o'  the  doctor, 
how  he  'd  laugh,  the  last  time  I  was  in  to  see  her ; 
her  baby  was  sick,  and  she  sent  up  to  know  if  I  'd 
lend  her  a  variety  of  herbs,  and  I  did  n't  know 
but  she  might  p'isen  it,  so  I  stepped  down  with 
something  myself.  She  begun  to  flutter  about  like 
she  always  does,  and  I  picked  my  way  acrost  the 
kitchen  to  the  cradle.  '  There,'  says  she,  « I  have 
been  laying  out  all  this  week  to  go  up  to  the 
Corners  and  git  me  two  new  chairs.'  '  I  should 
think  you  had  plenty  of  chairs  now,'  said  I,  and 


AT  HOME  AGAIN.  347 

she  looked  at  me  sort  of  surprised,  and  says  she, 
'There  ain't  a  chair  in  this  house  but  what's 
full.'  " 

And  Nan  laughed  as  heartily  as  could  have 
been  desired  before  she  asked  Mrs.  Jake  a  few 
more  appreciative  questions  about  her  ailments, 
and  then  rose  to  go  away.  Mrs.  Martin  followed 
her  out  to  the  gate ;  she  and  Nan  had  always  been 
very  fond  of  each  other,  and  the  elder  woman 
pointed  to  a  field  not  far  away  where  the  brothers 
were  watching  a  stubble-fire,  which  was  sending 
up  a  thin  blue  thread  of  smoke  into  the  still  air. 
"  They  were  over  in  your  north  lot  yisterday," 
said  Mrs.  Martin.  "  They  're  fullest  o'  business 
nowadays  when  there  's  least  to  do.  They  took 
it  pretty  hard  when  they  first  had  to  come  down 
to  hiring  help,  but  they  kind  of  enjoy  it  now. 
We  're  all  old  folks  together  on  the  farm,  and  not 
good  for  much.  It  don't  seem  but  a  year  or  two 
since  your  poor  mother  was  playing  about  here, 
and  then  you  come  along,  and  now  you  're  the 
last  o'  your  folks  out  of  all  the  houseful  of  'em 
I  knew.  I  '11  own  up  sometimes  I  've  thought 
strange  of  your  fancy  for  doctoring,  but  I  never 
said  a  word  to  nobody  against  it,  so  I  have  n't  got 
anything  to  take  back  as  most  folks  have.  I 
could  n't  help  thinking  when  you  come  in  this  af 
ternoon  and  sat  there  along  of  us,  that  I  'd  give  a 
good  deal  to  have  Mis'  Thacher  step  in  and  see 
you  and  know  what  you  've  made  o'  yourself.  She 
had  it  hard  for  a  good  many  years,  but  I  believe 
't  is  all  made  up  to  her ;  I  do  certain." 


348  A    COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

Nan  meant  to  go  back  to  the  village  by  the 
shorter  way  of  the  little  foot-path,  but  first  she 
went  up  the  grass -grown  lane  toward  the  old 
farm-house.  She  stood  for  a  minute  looking  about 
her  and  across  the  well-known  fields,  and  then 
seated  herself  on  the  door-step,  and  stayed  there 
for  some  time.  There  were  two  or  three  sheep 
near  by,  well  covered  and  rounded  by  their  soft 
new  winter  wool,  and  they  all  came  as  close  as 
they  dared  and  looked  at  her  wonderingly.  The 
narrow  path  that  used  to  be  worn  to  the  door-step 
had  been  overgrown  years  ago  with  the  short 
grass,  and  in  it  there  was  a  late  little  dandelion 
with  hardly  any  stem  at  all.  The  sunshine  was 
warm,  and  all  the  country  was  wrapped  in  a  thin, 
soft  haze. 

She  thought  of  her  grandmother  Thacher,  and 
of  the  words  that  had  just  been  said ;  it  was  be 
ginning  to  seem  a  very  great  while  since  the  days 
of  the  old  farm -life,  and  Nan  smiled  as  she  re 
membered  with  what  tones  of  despair  the  good 
old  woman  used  to  repeat  the  well-worn  phrase, 
that  her  grandchild  would  make  either  something 
or  nothing.  It  seemed  to  her  that  she  had  brought 
all  the  success  of  the  past  and  her  hopes  for  the 
future  to  the  dear  old  place  that  afternoon.  Her 
early  life  was  spreading  itself  out  like  a  picture, 
and  as  she  thought  it  over  and  looked  back  from 
year  to  year,  she  was  more  than  ever  before  sur 
prised  to  see  the  connection  of  one  thing  with 
another,  and  how  some  slight  acts  had  been  the 


AT  HOME  AGAIN.  349 

planting  of  seeds  which  had  grown  and  flourished 
lon<r-  afterward.  And  as  she  tried  to  follow  her- 

^5 

self  back  into  the  cloudy  days  of  her  earliest 
spring,  she  rose  without  knowing  why,  and  went 
down  the  pastures  toward  the  river.  She  passed 
the  old  English  apple-tree,  which  still  held  aloft 
a  flourishing  bough.  Its  fruit  had  been  gathered, 
but  there  were  one  or  two  stray  apples  left,  and 
Nan  skillfully  threw  a  stick  at  these  by  way  of 
summons. 

Along  this  path  she  had  hurried  or  faltered 
many  a  time.  She  remembered  her  grandmother's 
funeral,  and  how  she  had  walked,  with  an  elderly 
cousin  whom  she  did  not  know,  at  the  head  of  the 
procession,  and  had  seen  Martin  Dyer's  small 
grandson  peeping  like  a  rabbit  from  among  the 
underbrush  near  the  shore.  Poor  little  Nan ! 
she  was  very  lonely  that  day.  She  had  been  so 
glad  when  the  doctor  had  wrapped  her  up  and 
taken  her  home. 

She  saw  the  neighborly  old  hawthorn-tree  that 
grew  by  a  cellar,  and  stopped  to  listen  to  its  rust 
ling  and  to  lay  her  hand  upon  the  rough  bark.  It 
had  been  a  cause  of  wonder  once,  for  she  knew  no 
other  tree  of  the  kind.  It  was  like  a  snow-drift 
when  it  was  in  bloom,  and  in  the  grass-grown 
cellar  she  had  spent  many  an  hour,  for  there  was 
a  good  shelter  from  the  wind  and  an  excellent 
hiding-place,  though  it  seemed  very  shallow  now 
when  she  looked  at  it  as  she  went  by. 

The   burying-place   was   shut    in   by   a  plain 


350  A    COUNTRY  DOCTOR. 

stone  wall,  which  she  had  long  ago  asked  the  Dy 
ers  to  build  for  her,  and  she  leaned  over  it  now 
and  looked  at  the  smooth  turf  of  the  low  graves. 
t  She  had  always  thought  she  would  like  to  lie 
there  too  when  her  work  was  done.  There  were 
some  of  the  graves  which  she  did  not  know,  but 
one  was  her  poor  young  mother's,  who  had  left 
her  no  inheritance  except  some  traits  that  had 
won  Nan  many  friends  ;  all  her  evil  gifts  had  been 
buried  with  her,  the  neighbors  had  said,  when  the 
girl  was  out  of  hearing,  that  very  afternoon. 

There  was  a  strange  fascination  about  these 
river  uplands ;  no  place  was  so  dear  to  Nan,  and 
yet  she  often  thought  with  a  shudder  of  the  story 
of  those  footprints  which  had  sought  the  river's 
brink,  and  then  turned  back.  Perhaps,  made 
pure  and  strong  in  a  better  world,  in  which  some 
lingering  love  and  faith  had  given  her  the  true 
direction  at  last,  where  even  her  love  for  her  child 
had  saved  her,  the  mother  had  been  still  taking 
care  of  little  Nan  and  guiding  her.  Perhaps  she 
had  helped  to  make  sure  of  the  blessings  her  own 
life  had  lost,  of  truth  and  whiteness  of  soul  and 
usefulness;  and  so  had  been  still  bringing  her 
child  in  her  arms  toward  the  great  shelter  and 
home,  as  she  had  toiled  in  her  fright  and  weak 
ness  that  dark  and  miserable  night  toward  the 
house  on  the  hill. 

And  Nan  stood  on  the  shore  while  the  warm 
wind  that  gently  blew  her  hair  felt  almost  like  a 
hand,  and  presently  she  went  closer  to  the  river, 


AT  HOME  AGAIN,  351 

and  looked  far  across  it  and  beyond  it  to  the  hills. 
The  eagles  swung  to  and  fro  above  the  water,  but 
she  looked  beyond  them  into  the  sky.  The  soft 
air  and  the  sunshine  came  close  to  her  ;  the  trees 
stood  about  and  seemed  to  watch  her  ;  and  sud 
denly  she  reached  her  hands  upward  in  an  ecstasy 
of  life  and  strength  and  gladness.  "  O  God," 
she  said,  "  I  thank  thee  for  ray  future." 


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